The Reset
by StudioEden
Summary: Bonkai AU: PART ONE of "The Reset" series. "No matter what I do, I still can't seem to escape that hell..." Set around the events of 6x17. Some part of the 1994 Prison World still clings to Kai after he left. A part of him that he never really took stock in. A part of him that he'd taken advantage of. A part of him that is now his curse.
1. Prologue: Long Way Down

Hands soaked in rainwater trembled slightly.

The world was washed out, seemingly devoid of color as the rain fell heavy across his shoulders - spattering his leather jacket as it made a soft _squelching_ sound while flexing his arms. There was a soft roar in his ears from the downpour, muffled from the sound of his heartbeat that hammered against his chest - declaring war. Against what? Whom? He wasn't sure anymore.

Gray-blue eyes stared wide-eyed at his palms, youthful and flawless. Hands that he, at one point, had become so accustomed to seeing. Had believed he would see them forever, as well as the never changing world around him. Frozen.

They weren't the wrinkled hands of a man who had lived to be old an gray, ready to embrace death. These were the hands of a twenty-two year old, a young man still on the cusp of figuring out just who he was and what his purpose was in the world. The hands of a youth who still held onto the prospect of achieving his lifelong dreams and ambitions. A hand that, when he closed his eyes, could still see the bright crimson smatterings of blood. The blood of his siblings - the massacre he, himself, had launched in an attempt to get his worthless father to finally open his eyes.

To see the monster that he had created. The monster the Gemini Coven's twisted practices had created.

He was a monster.

As he looked down and to the left, he saw the body of an old woman. Her eyes were closed, one hand resting over her stomach while the other stretched out, fingers curled slightly upward toward the sky. Like she had been holding someone's hand just moments prior. Her face, weathered from time, glistened a soft brown from the tone of her skin. Her dark hair had strands of silver in them, shining from the light of the moon overhead. She held a peaceful expression, a wisp of a smile touching the corners of her lips.

If her eyes were open, he knew they would have been green and sparkling with a fierce light that never faded in all the years he'd known her.

 _No..._

Squeezing his hands shut, his nails dug into his palms until he could feel the pressure; _feel_ the pain as the skin was broken. Hands, now fists, continued to tremble as crimson leaked from between his digits and fell to the ground. The blood soaked into the ground and was immediately washed away - erased. As though it had never existed.

There was a deep rumble in his chest, his body shaking as violently as his fists. His lips spread into a sick, twisted smile. They spread further, a flash of his teeth appearing in the darkness before he erupted into a fit of manic laughter. Throwing his head back, he shut his eyes to the world as the rain fell against his face and his voice rang out across the vast emptiness. Wave after wave of laughter escaped into the night, matching the roaring sounds of the rainstorm.

Thunder clapped in the distance and it was at this moment that his laughter transformed into an enraged scream. He screamed so much until his throat felt raw and he screamed more. It felt like his throat was being cut, but he couldn't stop screaming. No one could hear him. No one cared. There was only the mountains and the forests around him.

Nothing...except for him.

He didn't know if he was crying or if it was the rain soaking his face. He didn't know and he didn't care. Only one thing mattered to him; the only thing that he was certain of.

His curse had followed him. The curse of his prison.

The curse of Malachai Parker.

* * *

 _ **AN:** Okay guys. Here it is. It's Eden coming out with another story after **years** of not writing anything. Bonkai will forever and always be my OTP. Thank you **donutworry** and **albion19** for being the inspirational source for this story. And thank you **thefudge** and **mysticfalls-originals** for helping me fall in love with fanfiction again. This is for you guys!_


	2. Doing Damage, Getting Under My Skin

**_AN:_** _This fanfic takes place around and after the events of 6x17. Bonnie does, in fact, leave Kai in the 1903 Prison World but returns. This story will switch between Bonnie's perspective and Kai's, but mostly maintain Kai's POV as this centers around his little "problem" that followed him after leaving the 1994 Prison World. Enjoy!_

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Salvatore Boarding House ~_

Bonnie rounded on Elena as they stood in the kitchen, eyes wide as hot anger and disbelief flashed through her green depths. " _What_ did you just say?"

Elena's brows knit together, casting a sidelong glance to Damon just as he returned from settling his mother in to one of the bedrooms upstairs. The jump from 1903 to the present had wiped her out and she was just wanting to sleep. He could sense the tension in the air, the anger practically seeping from Bonnie's pores as the Bennett witch turned her heated gaze from Elena to Damon.

"Whoa, okay. What did I miss?" He held his hands up, looking between both women. "Am I about to break up a cat fight of epic proportions here?"

"Damon..." Elena's voice was small, her hand reaching out to grasp at the hem of Damon's shirt.

Bonnie's nostrils flared as she took another deep breath, her chest visibly rising and falling. She watched Elena take a step toward Damon and the vampire cut his eyes to Elena and then to Bonnie. She could see the memory playing across Elena's face, only having seen this level of anger directed to her from Bonnie once before. And that was when she had turned her humanity off and tried to kill the witch. But Bonnie knew that Elena could sense it - could see that she was fighting everything she had to maintain her self-control. But it was quickly unraveling.

"Yo, what's the deal, Bon-Bon?"

Her sight line switched to Damon in a flash. "Is it true?" Confusion crossed his features and this only caused her anger to flare up further. "Is what Elena just told me _the truth_ , Damon?"

"Wha-?" He looked to Elena, her expression pleading.

"Kai, Damon. About Kai. About what he did for her...on her birthday..." Bonnie watched as Damon's expression changed, going from shock and then guilt almost instantly. So he had known all along. "I thought you had told her..." Elena's eyes moved from Damon's to meet Bonnie's. "I-I thought you knew about it before we even left for the Prison World. I didn't know that you were planning to-"

"The truth, Damon! Now!"

Damon rounded on Bonnie, his mouth parted as she watched him struggle with what to say. It was all the proof she needed. Her eyes narrowed, her body visibly shaking before she stalked past him to pluck up the 1903 Ascendant from off the kitchen island. With swift, angry strides she made her way into the main living room area and with a flick of her wrist, a switchblade sailed from a desk drawer and into her right hand. Just as she clicked the blade free, a hand harshly pulled at her wrist and twisted it up so that her fist was parallel with her face.

"Bon, what do you think you're doing?"

"Let go of me, Damon!"

Instead, he strengthened his grip and she let out a sharp hiss from the pain. "Forget about Kai! He's a fucking psychopath! He deserves to be stuck in another Prison World! At least it's not Retro World 1994!" He flashed a dark, menacing smile that made Bonnie's stomach turn in knots. "He should be thanking us, Bon-Bon. We gave him a change of scenery."

"At whose expense?"

"Uh, no one's?"

"Wrong!"

Pushing her magic forward, Bonnie watched as Damon immediately crumpled to the floor from the pain she was inducing in his head. An agonizing sound poured from Damon's throat and Elena was immediately at his side, trying to coax him by holding his head to her chest while tears filled her eyes. Bonnie watched as her best friend implored her with just a look, begging her friend to stop.

"It was at _my expense_ , Damon! Leaving him behind in 1903 was _your idea_ , dammit!" She blinked her eyes rapidly, fighting back the sting of something that was threatening to burst forth from their depths.

He tried to reach out to her, but the pain she was pushing was too great. Worse than what she'd dished out at him after he'd brought Kai to that damned Rave and they had been alone. "B-Bonnie…"

"How do you think it would have made me feel, knowing I'd left him to die after finding out he'd saved my life? That he was the one responsible for getting me out of 1994?" The hand that gripped the switchblade flung out toward him, his body doubling over in pain and he all but buried himself into Elena's chest as she could only call out to her and cry. "Did you want me to live the rest of my life with nothing but guilt and shame weighing on my conscience?! DID YOU?!"

Damon's screams began to elevate in volume, her breathing ragged at this point as her fingers curled tightly around the blade before bringing it down across the edge of her palm and then dripping her blood onto the cogs and gears of the Ascendant. Closing her eyes, she directed her magic onto activating by releasing her hold over Damon.

Her magic radiated off of her in waves, entering every corner of the room and seeping through the cracks. Damon and Elena both scrambled to their feet to reach her, calling out her name simultaneously but she was deaf to their screams. Kai was dying back in 1903. She'd left him there to die, to suffer for what he'd done to her and every single person he'd ever hurt. For the kiss-shaped scar just below her breast – a constant reminder of why she now knew she was capable of hurting someone out of pure rage. Capable of it _without_ the aid of dark magic; without Expression.

But then he'd had to go and merge with Luke and save her life on the day she wanted to kill herself. He'd ruined it all. He'd ruined her vengeance and now?

Now she had to go get him and bring him back.

Just as the room burst into a blinding cone of light, Bonnie narrowed her eyes toward Damon just as she finished the spell's incantation. Her body was swallowed up in the light, leaving her words behind.

"God damn you, Damon Salvatore…"

* * *

 _~ 1903 Prison World ~_

It shouldn't have surprised him. It shouldn't have surprised him at all. But it couldn't chase the shock and despair that swirled inside of his chest, his back scraping against the bark of a large tree as the snow fell around his body.

The burning sensation from the stab wounds on his back and the back of his leg served as a reminder of what he'd done. He had ruined her. The blazing hatred in her eyes as the blood soaked knife hovering over his head was an image that was imprinted into his mind. It would be there forever. There had been no fear. Only desperation and guilt that ate away at him as she knelt over his body in the snow. The mirthless grin spread over her gorgeous lips as she railed into him - reminded him of his sins against her.

But he'd known. He had known what he had done and to the degree of which he'd done it. Betrayal. Hatred. Hopelessness and helplessness. They were all seeds that he had planted inside of her, the final straw when he'd left her alone in the prison world. His prison world.

He stood up on shaky legs, the muscles screaming from the pain as his hands dug into the bark of the tree to help him up onto his feet. His breath, a thick fog, came out in quick intervals as Kai attempted to regulate his breathing. He was alone again. Alone in that wretched place.

Alone.

"Damn, Bonnie," he said through gritted teeth, a bitter laugh pushing from his chest. "You sure know how to go all out for a guy." She'd really done a number on him. He hadn't been on the receiving end. Not for a while. She'd flipped the script on him. He couldn't blame her.

He had only managed one step forward before a blinding flash of light exploded not even thirty feet from him. Kai jerked his head around, bracing himself against the tree as his blood stained the snow. He knew that light and could feel the swirl of magic that radiated from it. He recognized it. How could he not?

As the light dissipated, Kai could only stare in disbelief. There she was, Bonnie Bennett, standing in the snow as her head began to frantically look around. God, she was beautiful. The very sight of her made his chest ache with an unknown need - the Northern Lights serving as a perfect backdrop to her form.

 _Bonnie..._ It was like she'd heard his thoughts, her head whipping around and looking straight at him. _Through_ him. His breath hitched sharply as her eyes narrowed at him, the ascendant clutched in her hands.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Bonnie spoke first.

 _"Motus!"_

The wave of magic slammed into his chest, sending him backwards and he landed with a harsh thud on the snow; right on his injury where she'd stabbed him. A sharp cry of pain issued from his chest before he was able to scramble up to a sitting position just as Bonnie stalked over toward him. There was no knife in her hand, but the anger was still clear in her eyes. She was coming back to finish the job.

Flinging her hand forward, she cast the spell and, again, he flew up and off to the side. The wind was completely knocked out of him as his chest slammed into another tree, a low groan pushing out of him before Kai was overtaken with a coughing fit. Face half frozen from snow, he looked up and flipped himself over onto his back as he watched Bonnie drawing closer. He could feel the magic rising from her body like a heat wave.

 _The others!_ Kai thought, thinking of his sisters and the link that connected them through The Merge. Of the entire Gemini Coven. If Bonnie killed him, she'd be killing the others. The part of him that was coping with his emotions, the part that was very much Luke, grew frantic and he began to quickly scoot back and away from Bonnie.

But she was faster.

Already on top of him, Bonnie gripped the lapels of his coat and yanked him forward angrily. "How does it feel, Kai?"

He blinked up at her wildly. "What?"

"Jerking me around like that," she heaved, a flash of her malachite eyes practically hypnotizing. "The great Malachai Parker not bragging over how he had a hand in saving my life? Not rubbing it in my face about how, without him, I would have died back in 1994? You think I'd be grateful to you for keeping your mouth shut? Huh?!" Kai's eyes widened, his expression a mixture of shock and then understanding. She shook his collar violently, causing him to wince from his injuries. "How does it feel?!"

"Bonnie..."

"TELL ME!"

"LIKE SHIT!" he shouted, unable to tear his gaze away from hers. Their chests rose and fell with the intensity of their breathing, clouds of smoke pushing against each other. After another few seconds of silence, Kai's brows furrowed from both the physical and emotional pain. "...I feel like shit, Bonnie."

Bonnie studied his face for a long time before roughly releasing him and clambering to her feet. "Get up."

Her voice was cold. Colder than the snow around them. But Kai's chest was filled with warmth. He was still on the ground and couldn't stop the smile from tugging at his lips.

"You came back."

"Shut-up. I didn't come back for you." Her tone was clipped, a razor edge to it. "I came back for me." She began digging through her pockets and for a moment, he thought she was going to pull out the hunting knife again. Instead she produced a small switch blade. "Now get up."

He stood up, searing heat from his wounds bringing him back to awareness. His magic wasn't healing it as fast as he'd thought. Probably because he was still reeling from the shock of knowing Bonnie had come back for him. It only took four steps to close the distance between them. She slid the edge of the knife along her palm, droplets falling onto the clear crystal of The Ascendant.

Kai reached out, his hands still gloved, and hesitated just as he was about to slip them under hers. There was a part of him that was still suspicious. She could still knife him in the neck or blow him back with a spell. His eyes grew wide when she snatched his wrist and jerked his hands forward and then pressed the backs of her knuckles into his palms.

Like always, Kai's eyes stayed locked onto her face as she began chanting the spell.

 _"Sangima Maerma, Bernos Asescenda."_

And, just as it always had, the magic swirled around them. The Northern Lights flashed liked an animated painting in the sky. A flash of light engulfed them both and, even though Kai fought hard not to, the blinding light forced him to shut his eyes and embrace the darkness.

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _Okay, so the first chapter is done. As I stated in the beginning, this story takes place after the events of 6x17. But instead of leaving Kai in the Prison World of 1903, she comes back for him. I didn't want to leave you guys hanging after the Prologue so yeah, here it is. I'll be jumping around and fast forwarding through time after a small stint (not telling what kind of stint - you'll just have to wait and see =) ), but this story focuses a lot on time passing and a series of back and forth between present Kai and past Kai. You'll understand my meaning in the next chapter!_


	3. The Only Thing

**_AN:_** _So, just to clear up any confusion, any section of the story that doesn't have a timeline on it, consider it as "Present Day" or "Very Far Into the Future". I didn't want to confuse people with putting more dates other than the ones that are in the past. So anything that has a date, those are events that have already happened. Anything that doesn't have a date means that it's happening in the current timeline of the story. I don't want to say more without giving anything away so keep reading!_

* * *

She weighed practically nothing. The heavy rain beat down on him in waves, but Kai could only feel the woman in his arms. Her head slumped almost lazily against his chest and he wondered, absently, if she could hear his heartbeat. But that was foolish. Because the body in his arms wasn't even alive.

Bonnie was dead.

The old woman who was stubborn and fierce, the Matriarch of the Bennett witches, the love of his life...was dead. It was almost too unreal. It was most definitely unfair. But all he could do was keep silent as he trudged through the woods, the rain reflecting the tears he had shed earlier and had stopped the moment he had lifted her into his arms.

Or was he still crying? Kai didn't know, to be honest.

He remembered taking Bonnie by the hand earlier that evening and leading her out into the forest away from the house. At the time, they were both old together. They both knew that the end was coming soon. They had already prepared their children for it. Everything was ready. All they had to do was wait for the right moment.

The moment when they both knew that it was time.

As he reached the edge of the woods, he could hear frantic screams coming from the house. They were calling for him; calling for Bonnie. They were the voices of their children.

Panic immediately struck his heart, halting his steps just as he passed the edge of the trees and entered the clearing. Eyes roved the house and he saw their oldest child, Lydia, running half wild through the front yard in her search. She was in her late forties now and with children of her own. Lydia looked so much like Bonnie it almost hurt. Instead of green eyes, she'd inherited his gray-blue ones.

He had damn near lost his mind from joy when she'd come into the world.

Kai watched her feet shuffle to a halt, as if she had sensed his arrival; sensed his magic. Craning her neck, her brilliant blue eyes met Kai's and she all but gasped in shock. Soaked through, Lydia lurched forward - her hands already preparing to launch a spell against Kai. On any other day, he would have taken the hit. But not today. Not with Bonnie's corpse in his arms.

It wasn't until he had smiled at her that her expression melted from blazing anger to a mix of confusion and shock. "D-Dad?"

"Hey baby," he said, his voice raw and almost hollow.

She quickly closed the distance between them, her hands moving to rest over Bonnie's form. "Oh god, Mom..." Lydia's hands slid over her mother's arms. Kai watched her shaking fingers close over Bonnie's wrists before her grief-stricken face lifted to meet his own, despite his smile. "Dad, what happened?" She looked him over, still shocked at seeing a man so much younger than herself but still seeing her father. "What did you do?"

Kai shook his head, feeling so much older than he looked. "Get your brothers and sisters. There's a lot we need to talk about."

* * *

 _~ 1903 Prison World ~_

Kai felt like a thousand pound boulder pressed up against her, even with him holding himself up and pulling his own weight. The Ascendant clunked in her coat pocket with every step she took, their boots crunching in the snow as she made her way to the old Salvatore home. A few minutes would pass with Kai not saying anything and Bonnie would pause, snapping her fingers in front of his face to get him to wake back up. Empathy or not, she _was not_ about to heft around Kai Parker all over creation.

She dragged him up the steps, all but kicking the door in and moving to the nearest sitting area so that she could deposit him onto the couch. Bonnie felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders and she was about to sneer at Kai before she noticed that he was sweating despite the cold.

"Shit," she muttered, a hand curling toward the fireplace and igniting the fresh logs inside the hearth.

The room instantly grew warm and Bonnie began shrugging out of her coat, muttering another spell to further heat the room before she was already moving her hands to undo the buttons of Kai's jacket. A sharp gasp pushed from her throat as his hand reached out and grabbed her by the wrist. She flinched, preparing herself for the sharp pain of his siphoning to begin when she noticed he still had gloves on. Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief, though it did not reach her eyes as she glared at Kai who looked like he'd been stricken with some sort of disease.

"B-Bonnie?"

She tried to pull her wrist free but he wouldn't budge. Despite his sickly appearance, Kai's grip was surprisingly strong. Bonnie grimaced. "The one and only~" she said through gritted teeth in a sing-song manner.

Again, she pulled at her arm but he wouldn't let go. Instead, he sat up slowly and looked around – the confusion replacing the pained expression that had previously been decorating his features.

"What the hell happened?" She watched him reorient himself, taking in their surroundings. Her frown deepened when Kai's grip tightened. "Where-?"

"1903," Bonnie said simply, his eyes snapping to meet hers. "We're still in 1903."

"How?"

"My magic is too weak, Kai."

He narrowed his gaze at her, his grip neither tightening nor loosening. It was getting on her nerves. "What do you mean it's too weak?" His steel-blue eyes roved over her face, brows knit with concern this time. A rush of heat touched her cheeks before she turned her face from his. But his fingers were gripping her chin gently and turning her face back to meet his, studying her visage for any sign of something being off. "I didn't siphon anything from you, did I?"

Bonnie couldn't help the chuckle that spilled from her. Her eyes flicked down to his hands. "Kai? You have gloves on, remember?"

Kai looked down at his hands, immediately releasing the hold he had on her and she let her hands fall into her lap. "Oh shit," he said, scooting back a bit from her. "Yeah, sorry..."

She canted her head slightly while looking at him. He was still recovering from the minute shock of her arrival back to the prison world. He was still battling with the fact that just mere _hours prior_ she had been trying to kill him. Now, here Bonnie was, amused at his sudden introverted behavior.

 _This is so fucked up..._

Standing, Bonnie waved at him casually as she began milling about the room. "Take your coat off. I need to tend to your injuries."

"Right..." It was all Kai said before she watched him shrugging out of his jacket.

Bonnie did her best to ignore the winces that etched his features, half reeling that she didn't even feel a twinge of guilt for what she'd done. The only regret she would have had was that she would have abandoned him before she'd known the truth. That would have haunted her for the rest of her days. Bonnie could hold a grudge; that much was true. But being a martyr? Well, that was something she was grossly too familiar with.

If Kai had done that, even on a whim, then it meant that something in him was changing. Because the Kai Parker she knew? The one who shot her with an arrow, strangled and drugged her and then stabbed her again? The one who had left her alone? Well...that was something he would have never done.

"Can't you just do it with magic?"

Picking up some gauze and a bottle of brandy, Bonnie rolled her eyes and made her way back over to him. "No, I can't. I don't know what kind of power sources you Gemini run on, but portal jumping through different dimensions multiple times in under a couple of hours isn't something us _normal_ witches are used to." Shoving her foot along coffee table to shove it closer to the couch, she set the items down beside her and motioned for Kai to turn around. "What magic I have left, I need to hold on to until it replenishes."

"Soooo, you're saying we're stuck here?" Kai glanced over his shoulder at her.

She scoffed, noting the blood on his shirt as well as the tear in his shirt. "Yes, for now."

He groaned, looking away from her to face the wall. "Great."

Bonnie rolled the hem of his shirt up, watching his back flex as he bit back a wince. It looked worse than she thought. The bruising was blossoming around the three inch long gash. His magic had managed to keep the blood from flowing. Or at least that's what she had believed. But once his skin began to warm, she saw the blood start to weep from his injury and Bonnie instructed Kai to pull his shirt off as she began pouring brandy onto a strip of gauze.

"This is going to hurt," she warned, not waiting for his acknowledgement before she slapped the brandy-soaked cloth against the injury. Her heart jumped in her throat as she heard him scream out from the pain, his body lurching forward to grip onto the back of the couch. "Suck it up, Kai." She knew that he didn't need any coddling. The pain was coming whether he wanted it to or not. "Some Gemini leader you are."

Kai half grunted and half laughed in spite of the pain. "I think you're doing this on purpose." He craned his neck to chance a glance at her. "Admit it. You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Bonnie smirked. It would be a lie if she said she didn't like hearing him squirm under her ministrations. He liked acting so tough, like he was hot shit. Well, now he was _in_ hot shit. The better part of her probably knew that leaving him here was the better option. The lesser of two evils. Because he could easily just snap and go back to his remorseless ways. Unleash his wrath on the rest of the Gemini at the drop of a hat.

But then she remembered what her life had been like those short few months when he'd abandoned her in 1994. The noxious gas fumes when she'd locked herself away in the garage. Kai had been living like that for the better part of almost twenty years. He'd even admitted to going so far as to chopping his own head off. She hadn't even made it six months…

To taste freedom and then be thrown back into a cage?

"I don't forgive you, Kai," she said, watching his back shift as he took a breath. Her eyes roved over his toned muscles – watched his shoulders slump slightly as she began dressing his wounds. "But…I won't leave you alone again."

* * *

 _~1903 Prison World - Two Weeks Later~_

Kai had stopped suspecting Bonnie was up to something after the third day. The first two days, once he'd gotten over his initial shock and elation, had constantly felt on edge. He didn't know if she was going to have a sudden revelation in the middle of the night and Kai dreaded the nights when he just _knew_ he was going to wake up with Bonnie standing over his bed with a knife in her hands. It had gotten so bad that he really did think he'd imagined Bonnie standing at his bedside, but it was quickly dashed away when he'd come crawling out of his night terror.

But not all of it was so bad. By the close of the first week, he was getting used to the location and was already adapting to the recurring winter and the Northern Lights dancing across the night sky like a magical display of water colors. He'd even begun rifling through some of the wardrobes in the manor, donning black slacks with suspenders and a comfortable dress shirt that he wore with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Being stuck in another Prison World with Bonnie, however, had caused a few unsavory thoughts to pop into his head. Thoughts that involved body heat. Close proximity and the furtive glances they kept giving each other in passing. Like him, she was wearing a few of the dresses of the period - her body covered from head to toe but the boning in the bodice hugged her eloquently in a way that he never would have believed attractive on a woman. After all, he was of the 90's generation when girls were running around in crop tops and high rise cut-offs. When _Bonnie_ had been running around in crop tops and high rise shorts. Skin everywhere. Skin everywhere.

Every. Fucking. Where.

Either way, it was an overwhelming discomfort while also simultaneously alleviating his anxieties that he was still battling with.

Fucking feelings.

They had been keeping relatively to their own spaces. Bonnie had been mulling around, digging through the dusty tomes of the Salvatore Mansion's library while he had begun busying himself through the kitchen and making supply runs. His injuries had been healing nicely and his own magic was slowly starting to recover. But he wasn't sure just how much of it was being snuffed out by his erratic nerves or at the idea of being in another prison world all over again. He knew that his throat went dry and his heart rate elevated to new levels of ridiculous whenever Bonnie and he would cross paths.

They would share meals together, mostly of his cooking because hers were forever lacking and with a kitchen from the early 1900s, she was just as hopeless as she was in 1994. Bonnie had barely said a handful of words to him - mostly in response to his queries about her magic. She would furrow her brows, cut her eyes at him to silence his words and then she would provide an off-handed explanation of it "still needing more time to recover."

By the first week's end, Bonnie was finally starting to relax around him. He could sense it even before she probably did. Bonnie had begun commenting on his cooking, almost immediately regretting it when he began to feel his chest swell with pride - going off on a tirade of just how long it had taken him to prepare everything with all of the outdated everything's in the kitchen. She'd left the kitchen without even thanking him, quickly deflating his ego.

On the eleventh day, Kai definitely knew something was wrong. There was a mild sense of panic that clung to his heart. What if this was Thanksgiving all over again? What if she was planning on trapping him in another prison world and holding herself there with him since she was the key? Had she resigned herself to be a fellow inmate just so that she could protect the friends who so often took advantage of her?

His panic soon flared into anger. Why did she insist on being so self-righteous and self-sacrificing all of the time? Why, when no one would even thank her for what she was willing to throw away for others? For what others demanded of her? It reminded Kai of those times he'd seen her fighting with Damon when he was being a complete and total dick to her, usually resulting in Bonnie storming off.

 _But she always came back..._

Early morning of the fourteenth day, Kai was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. He had assumed Bonnie was asleep since he had heard her making so much noise downstairs in the study. Possibly trying to find ways to expedite the recovery of her magic. It made no difference to him, so long as they were able to get out of that place. He'd had enough of prison worlds. Enough for a thousand lifetimes.

The back door leading to the kitchen suddenly swung open, causing Kai to jump slightly as the high-pitched sizzle of the bacon roared in the cast iron skillet. Bonnie stepped through the threshold, dusting off snow from her shoulders. She'd chosen to wear a dark green and black lace dress, the bodice laced sinfully perfect across her chest and hinting at just the right amount of cleavage that peeked out from the burgundy velvet cloak that hung about her shoulders. She tossed the hood back, revealing her bob-style that she had somehow managed to get it curling about her jawline in a fashion he had never seen before. When their eyes met, Kai's breath hitched in his throat silently and they shared that moment of quiet for what felt like an eternity.

"Oh, you're up." She said it so easily, as if she were talking about the weather (which was forever bleary and dreary and just completely fucking awful).

Kai quickly collected himself. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Bonnie unclasped the brooch from the front of the cloak and swung it off her shoulders, hanging it up on a nearby rack and revealing the basket she was now holding. She must have run into town to gather supplies. He couldn't help but smile since he had opted to do the same thing after breakfast.

"You were making such a racket last night, I figured you would be sleeping in."

The smile on Kai's face instantly fell. "What?"

She set the basket on the table and began pulling out the items from inside. "What in the hell were you doing anyway?" Bonnie placed the loaf of bread on a carving board. "It sounded like you were turning the place upside down looking for something."

"Bonnie," he said evenly, causing her to meet his gaze. "That wasn't me."

Her hand hovered over the glass jar of milk just as she'd set it down by the eggs, cheese and bread. Green eyes narrowed suspiciously at him. "Kai, stop kidding around. I'm not in the mood." She went back to unloading the basket.

Kai snatched her wrist in his hand, eliciting a soft gasp before she turned her annoyed expression up at him. "I'm serious, Bon. It wasn't me. I thought it was you."

She scoffed. "Well it _wasn't me_ , Kai. I have a hard enough time sleeping as it is. And this place gives me the creeps at night."

He knew she was telling the truth. Bonnie rarely stuck around in the main hall when the sun started to set. Candles did little to comfort her and an oil lamp was equally useless. Her nerves were just as bad as his, if not worse. Kai knew he just did a better job of hiding it than she did.

The two of them stood there in silence, not able to tear their eyes from each other. Kai wasn't sure if it was his heartbeat he was hearing or hers, but he knew that _his heart_ felt like it was about to burst from his chest. After they both reached a horrible conclusion, they turned to look in the direction of the study - Kai's hand still held fast to her wrist. He could feel her pulse in her palm, but she didn't fight against him. In fact, Kai could almost feel her shaking slightly and he knew it wasn't from the cold.

They weren't alone in this place.

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _Woo! Made it through another chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it! I'm really getting back into the swing of things and I'm excited to take you guys on this journey with me. Please Rate and Review - let me know what you think! I appreciate feedback! Look forward to the next chapter!_


	4. Contact

_**AN:**_ _Confused yet? I hope not! xD But seriously, things are taking an interesting turn. Let's see what unfolds, shall we?_

* * *

Kai folded Bonnie's hands over her stomach after laying her down in their bed. She had been dried off and her soaked clothing removed, replacing it with the comfortable dresses she often favored. The dark green and black dress with the gardenia pattern had been her second favorite. It was Kai's actual favorite, though he'd never told her that. He'd simply said she looked beautiful all the time, which was the truth. She did.

But now he'd wished he'd told her.

He reached over, grasping her hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze. For a moment, all he could do was just look at her - seeing the peaceful expression adorning her face. It had taken some years for her to be able to look that way. For her to regularly hold such a face and he would daresay that it was worth it. Every argument. Every struggle. Every single fight they ever had, even leaving the other in bruises and in heaps. Mostly it was him being battered to the ground, but Kai didn't care.

He would take every single hit that was thrown at him if it came from her. He would do it all over again if it meant that she was with him now in that very moment. Kai would've given anything up in the world to have her back with him. Or, at the very least, to be where she was now.

Squeezing her fingers in his hand, Kai heard the door shift slightly but he continued to look at Bonnie.

"Dad?"

"Did you get them?"

Lydia closed the door behind her with a gentle _click_. "It took me a minute to round them up, but I got them." Kai turned to look at her, seeing the sad expression on her face as she looked at her mother. But when her eyes met his, she saw the sorrow swirling with confusion. He knew she had a million questions, but he could also sense that she was holding herself back. "I, uh...I forgot just how big this place is."

Kai flashed her a boyish grin - one that didn't meet his eyes. "What? You don't remember the three hour long games of hide and seek? I'm hurt, Liddy."

Her brows cinched at hearing her childhood nickname. She knew the face of the man who was speaking to her now as the face she remembered when she was a child. Or at least as close to it. Kai had been a bit more muscular, had a squarer jaw and scruff on his face. _That_ was the father she remembered and not the fresh-faced version that was sitting on the bed. Kai knew this but he tried his best to play it off. Mostly for her sake than his own.

"Those games were completely unfair. Cloaking is your specialty and you always scared the shit out of all of us."

He chuckled. "I know. The looks on your faces were priceless." He watched her for a moment longer before turning his gaze back to Bonnie.

There was a minute of silence before he heard his daughter take a breath. "Dad?"

"Hmm?"

"Just...just what happened?"

He reached out to brush a sweep of curls from Bonnie's face, tucking it just to the side of her jaw. His fingers lingered there, half tempted to siphon and see if any magic remained. If the magic he had placed was still there. Was there a chance that she was still alive? Everything had been so perfect. Everything had been going so well and Kai knew he had done the spell right. He _knew_ he had.

And yet...

"Go downstairs, Liddy," Kai replied calmly. He still refused to look at her. "I'll be there soon."

* * *

 _~ 1903 Prison World ~_

She would never admit it out loud, but Bonnie was almost constantly on edge. Ever since she realized that she and Kai weren't actually alone in 1903, a knot had been growing in her stomach to the point where the slightest shift in shadows would make her jump. It had gotten so bad that she'd blasted Kai with a spell on reflex when he had stopped her from accidentally tumbling down the stairs as soon as she'd realized the sun was setting. Kai had tumbled down in a heap instead.

Two days had passed since then. Each hour felt like a hundred years. Even though Kai never said anything out loud, she knew he was on alert also. Where he would often have the phonograph playing during lazy afternoons they shared together in the main living area, usually reading a few scattered grimoires they'd found, Kai hadn't played a single thing.

They both agreed never to go on supply runs alone anymore. The risk of getting ambushed was too great. Kai hadn't been thrilled at being reminded of what his first encounter with her and Damon had been like, but she had made a very convincing argument. While part of her was relieved that he was being so compliant, another part of her still didn't trust him. She hadn't forgiven him yet, but Bonnie wasn't stupid enough to get on his bad side. Not with an unknown person or persons running around in the Prison World _with them._

It didn't occur to her, until the fourth day, that Kai knew something that she didn't know. But she hadn't bothered to ask. It maybe had something basic to do with the Prison World. Something that she probably wouldn't have understood or even wanted to know. After all, it had nothing to do with her magic.

And what was bothering her more was that her magic was still taking too long to replenish and she _didn't know why_. Bonnie knew that it shouldn't have bothered her as much as it did, but she felt herself inadvertently taking her irritation out on Kai. He didn't seem to mind. In a way, she thought he almost enjoyed being on the receiving end of her ire. But there were moments when she knew she had pushed too far and he would often round on her, chest heaving as he attempted to get a grip on whatever was thundering inside of him.

She had decided not to press her luck. Not when something unknown was running around.

As the sun began to set, Bonnie started quickly gathering books and other things she would be up late reading over. Kai had suggested they start eating dinner earlier, before the sun started to sink, so they both could be upstairs and away from the main floor at the same time. Bonnie had agreed and as he finished cleaning the kitchen, Bonnie gathered up her skirts and all but flew up the steps.

However, just as she was about to reach for the doorknob to her own room, a hand roughly grasped hers and dragged her into a darkened room. Bonnie opened her mouth to scream out, but warmth sealed the sound away in the form of another hand as the door whispered closed; barely making a sound. She struggled until she heard a familiar brush of air and skin against her face. "Shhh..."

She was released, staring into a very serious Kai's face as he held up an oil lantern and pressed his a finger to his lips. Bonnie was about to mouth something, but he quickly jerked his head from side to side to stop even those motions. Kai then mouthed a spell, his lips moving too fast for her to read and suddenly everything was silenced around them. The sound they made was completely contained in that room and had no way of being able to filter itself out.

But they could still hear everything outside of the bubble.

 _"Wait...wait! ...it just stopped."_

 _"What do **you mean**_ _it just stopped?"_

 _"I don't hear it anymore."_

 _"Are you sure you even heard it at all?"_

 _"Shut-up Malcolm, I know what I heard!"_

Even though the room was silenced, Bonnie clasped a hand over her mouth as her eyes widened. There were others there with them! She had believed that Lily was the only one there. Trapped like Kai had been in her own personal prison world. It had never occurred to her that there would have been multiple inmates!

Her eyes looked to Kai, hoping to see something akin to shock smearing across his features. But his expression grew even more serious, verging on the deadlier side of the spectrum and it caused her fear to be directed to him. He knew something. He knew something and he had been keeping it to himself. Or had he just been waiting to determine if what he knew was actually the truth.

The sudden creak of the first step at the stairwell sounded like a whip crack. Bonnie's knees grew weak for a split second. She reached out where Kai had expectantly been waiting for her. His hand gripped her forearm firmly, giving it a reassuring squeeze and she felt the pressure behind her eyes intensifying with the onset of a migraine. She heard his voice whispering again and they were plunged into darkness as the flame from the oil lantern instantly went out.

Heavy footfalls could be heard outside in the hallway and Bonnie fought the urge not to lash out in an all out assault. Her nerves were frazzled and she hated not knowing what she was dealing with. Because if she at least knew what she was dealing with, they could know how to fight against it.

Her heartbeat was so loud it was ringing in her ears, drowning out what little sound she could even hear. Mentally, she would thank Kai for having enough sense to cast the spell. But she would never say it out loud, and her excuse for it later would be because he had already a better idea of the situation than she did. Later she would tell him that it was unfair. That he was an asshole for keeping it from her. Later, she would tell him that his reasons for not spilling wouldn't be good enough.

But for now? She was beside herself knowing that at least _one of them_ had a handle on the situation.

 _"Nora! They're not here anymore. They must have sensed we were coming."_

The footsteps paused just outside of the door and Bonnie could see in the darkness the shifting shadows just beneath the door. She took a step back, her shoulders pressing against Kai's chest and he quietly wrapped his arm around her waist to bring her closer. Her heart was hammering so hard that it was slamming into her shoulder blades now. Or was that his own heart beating?

"Did you finish recharging them?" The voice was mere feet from them - a woman's voice with an English accent.

 _"No, I was just down here brewin' a fuckin' cup of tea... Of course I finished! Now hurry your arse down here! They could be back at any moment!"_

An angry scoff came from the other side, hearing heels click as they made their way back down the hallway. The tell-tale creak of the steps all they needed to hear to know that they had decided to call off the search. The footfalls were further away, but Bonnie's heart didn't slow its rapid pace.

 _"...Lily left us here to rot after all."_

 _"She would never! She promised us that we would all get out of here together and if she's gone, that means she's trying to find a way to get us out as well!"_

Another scoff, but this one barely a whisper from down below.

 _"It's every man for themselves at this point. Anyway, the points have been recharged. Let's get the bloody hell out of here."_

A few minutes later, a door had been slammed shut. The minutes had felt like an eternity for Bonnie and she had released the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. But, true to Bonnie Bennett fashion, she swallowed her own fears and rounded on Kai - staring him straight into the eyes. "What the fuck is going on, Kai?"

* * *

 _~ 1903 Prison World - The Next Day ~_

The Heretics.

Kai had only believed that they were simply fairy tales that The Gemini spun to keep other Gemini witches in line. To make sure that they didn't stray from their archaic ways. Another reason to keep siphoners like him in check - to further isolate them from the rest of the world. Another nail on the coffin, so to speak. He hadn't taken much stock in it, seeing as the Parkers were of the ones who had been so vehemently against siphoners and of spreading the poisonous idea of heretics to begin with. Even their name, the bane in which they had been labeled, was something so close to the verge of the Clergy that it had set his teeth on edge.

So, as a rebellious and isolated siphoner, Kai had researched anything and everything he could about The Heretics. So it had not come as a surprise at all that he had learned of their imprisonment in one of the various prison worlds that had been created at Gemini hands. There had been whispers of Gemini possibly being in 1903, but nothing solidified in any sort of documentation. Just theories. Nothing concrete.

But as Kai's fingers curled around a device that had the Gemini symbol emblazoned on the wooden surface beneath the various metallic cogs, he knew for certain the reason why there had been very little mention of them in the annals of Gemini history. "Fuck..."

He didn't want to hear any arguments from Bonnie. Not that night. He told her to stay in that room with him and she must have seen just how serious he was, noting the lack of sexual innuendos spilling from his mouth, because this was not a joke. This was nothing to laugh about and he knew that he couldn't keep her safe unless he had his eyes on her. Kai had reassured her that he wasn't going to sleep - that he wouldn't leave her alone in the middle of the night. Until the dawn broke the skyline, he was going to stay up and keep watch. His magic was weak, but not nearly as weak as Bonnie's. He could keep a cloaking spell up for a full day if need be.

Kai could have kicked himself in the head for not realizing it sooner. The fact that Bonnie's magic was so slow to replenish should have been what tipped him off. But he had attributed it to her blocking herself from the idea of being in another prison world. Or being within close proximity of the person she despised so openly. Or, at least, used to despise. Now there was some mutual... _thing_ going on between them? He didn't fucking know.

However, he also knew that between the both of them, they didn't have enough magic to work the spell to get them back home. He may have been stronger, but jumping through without her magic would have nearly killed him. Jumping _with her_ at her current level would have _definitely_ killed her. Kai wasn't about to tell her that either. He wasn't sure if Bonnie had changed to the point that her martyrdom days were done. He sure as hell wasn't about to start testing that theory just yet.

Gray-blue eyes narrowed as he stared at the device, feeling the magic pulsating from within. A sharp sting licked at his fingers and palm and he winced, stuffing his hand into the snow to ease the burn. As a siphoner, he knew when another siphoner's magic was at work. Because it held a heat and bite to it that could not be explained with words other than "excruciating" and "merciless." Because that was what his father and others like him had branded him to be. And, as a result, he had become the very monster that they had feared and abhorred. The very _thing_ that they had been fighting so hard to contain had burst forth like a coiled cobra and striking without prejudice.

His siblings had been on the receiving end. There was no justifying what he did. There was nothing there for him to warrant what he had done, and yet it would be the brand on his back for the rest of his days.

The crunch of snow didn't startle him. He'd sensed her magic moving. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Bonnie was approaching, clad in a dark blue dress with white trimmings - the deep burgundy cloak swept over her shoulders as the hood fell along the crown of her head. Kai had to force himself not to avert his gaze, still shocked by just how pretty she looked, even in period clothing. He noticed the deep, black velvet bag that was clutched in her hands and he rose to his feet.

"What's the deal with these things, Kai?" She held the bag out to him and he took it from her, gesturing for her to follow him. "And just how long have those been around the house?"

"My guess? About two weeks now. Maybe longer." His brow creased with his mounting anger. If, in fact, his coven had something to do with this, then there was definitely going to be hell to pay when he returned. "Did you get them all?"

"All the ones I could find."

He gave a swift nod, dumping the contents of the bag out onto the snow. They were all similar to the device in his hand, to which he also dropped in the snow. Kai then got down on his haunches and Bonnie followed suit without even having to be asked. "I'll do another sweep of the house later."

Bonnie held up her gloved hand, flexing her fingers at him. "So, you gonna spill or what?"

He flashed her his typical, boyish smile. "I'll do one better. I'll show you."

Grabbing her hand, he yanked the glove off and pressed her palm against the device. It glowed red almost immediately and she winced, sucking in a sharp breath between her clenched teeth as her eyes squeezed shut. He only kept it there for a few seconds before releasing her hand and she fell back in the snow.

He watched her growl, her green eyes narrowing hotly before her hand flung out at him. _"Motus!"_

Kai scooped up one of the devices and held it up in front of him, ignoring the burning sensation in his palm and watched as it glowed a bright red - feeling the cogs moving inside as it ate up the spell before growing silent. Bonnie's anger dissolved and she blinked in surprise, leaning forward on her hands and knees as she crawled toward him. Her face was too close and he felt a lump growing in his throat as knots twisted in his chest.

"What...what the hell?!"

Bonnie was already reaching for it when Kai held it up and away from her, thrusting her glove back at her instead. "Don't touch it, dummy."

She huffed, pouting slightly as she snatched her glove from him and slipped it back onto her hand. "So, it's a device that sucks out magic?"

"Yup. A Gemini specialty, no less."

"Are you serious?"

"One hundred percent," he said, flipping it over so she could see the Gemini crest emblazoned along the wooden surface. "This is the mark of the Gemini."

Green eyes cut to him suspiciously and he rolled his eyes in response. He already knew what the next set of questions were going to be. He'd bet his left nut sack on it. "So why the hell are devices by _your coven_ doing here? Isn't this supposed to be Lily Salvatore's own personal prison world?" She picked up one of the siphoning devices and held it out to him. "What is the damn point of these?"

"To suck out magic, duh." He grinned as she cuffed him on the shoulder. "It's clear we're not alone, Bonster. Whoever these people are, they know that we have magic and have been planning to pull it out of us since they found out we have been holing up here."

Her expression grew worried. "What?"

Kai shook his head, hoping to ease back her concerns. "It hasn't been a lot. But we've been using magic and, as you know, magic just doesn't disappear into thin air. It seeps into everything. Even a basic heating spell, like the one you have constantly cast around the house, has been getting sucked into these things. I noticed it last night when I was cloaking and silencing us from them."

He reached his hands into the snow to cool them before taking both of them and grabbing onto two of the siphoning devices. It was weird, siphoning from a mechanism meant to siphon, but Kai knew he had to completely suck out all the magic from inside of these things so that their fellow inmates wouldn't be able to use it against them later. His hands glowed a bright red in time with the machines, the cogs whirring and spinning to life as they fought against him. But he was stronger.

One by one, he sucked every ounce of magic from the devices until there was nothing left. Once he'd finished, he put all them back into the bag and handed it to Bonnie. She canted her head slightly, looking puzzled. "Now what?"

"Now? We need to leave and find somewhere else to camp out at. But not before I siphon all the magic from the house first." Kai noticed the frown on her face and rolled his eyes. "Stop, okay? If anything, I'm going to have to bleed some of it back into you. If I siphon too much magic, I lose control of it. Gemini Leader or not, I'm not a bottomless pit."

She held the bag up. "You're not going to destroy these?"

He shook his head. "No. We don't need to even let on that we know. They need to think they still have some kind of advantage." He took the bag from her. "Show me where you found all of these and we'll put them back. Make sure you keep your gloves on. I'll go and get mine."

"Kai? What the fuck is going on?" He could hear her growing frustration. "Who the hell are these people?"

He sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Bon, we don't have time-"

She stepped up to him and, for once, she was crowding into _his_ personal space. His heart rate sped up as he looked down at her, brows raised in both question and surprise. Honestly? He wasn't going to start complaining.

"Then _make the time,_ Kai!"

Internally he groaned. "Look," he said, raising his hands up in surrender. "Let's just set these back and relocate and I _promise you_ , Bon, I'll tell you everything."

For a moment, there was silence between them - her studying him to see if there were any lies. There were none. He was done lying to her. Especially when it came to their safety. But he didn't want to jump the gun until he was sure.

"Fine." He breathed a sigh of relief, grunting when she poked him in hard in the chest. "But as soon as we're settled, you better tell me _everything._ "

He grinned. "Cross my heart, Bonnie. And hope to die."

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _Oh boy. I feel like I left you guys on a bit of a cliffhanger in so many different story lines! I wanted to give a little more insight to the Gemini, as well as build up some suspense with the arrival of The Heretics. But I promise, I'll be able to explain and branch out a few more things as I go along. I didn't want to go into too much in the Present time without explaining more things in the past. But there will be snippets of "Present Kai" ever constant, no worries. But thank you, everyone, so much for the reviews! You guys are so awesome! Please continue with the feedback! It helps me a ton!_


	5. The Turnabout

Kai froze in place, seeing all of his children sitting in the living room together. They were chatting and drinking as if it hadn't been Christmas since they'd last seen each other. They all had their own lives to lead. There wasn't a need for them to stick around Portland. Bonnie had even stressed that they all go out and see the world and pave their own ways, reassuring them that she and Kai could more than take care of themselves.

After all, they were witches. The sky was the limit.

Lydia poured her younger sister, Abigail, a glass of wine. Her dark hair fell in long waves along her back, reaching to her elbows. Her eyes were green like her mother's. She was the current Gemini leader, having merged with her twin, Thomas. Bonnie cried for days afterward. She had been near inconsolable. Kai had done everything that he could to prevent The Merge. But he knew that a new leader needed to be chosen, the only solution he could offer her was to put them all in another prison world of his making.

And he _had_ made one, much to Bonnie's horror. The Ascendant for it was locked away in a box upstairs.

Sitting beside each other on the couch were his sons, Josiah and Emilio. Dark haired and with piercing blue eyes, lighter in skin tone than the rest of their siblings. Bonnie had once teased him, saying that they came into the world just to torment him - to pay him back for all of those bad jokes he told in their youth. They had been born in succession, right after Lydia.

Bonnie said after she gave birth to Emilio that she didn't want to have any more children. Because Jo already had twins that could have taken over for him as his heirs. Kai's twin, however, had other things to say on that. She would not have her children adhering to The Merge tradition which, sadly, left Kai in a very difficult position. Especially since he and Bonnie hadn't given birth to twins of their own yet.

Laughter pooled into the room as Lonnie and Max came in from the back where the pool deck was. They apparently were engrossed by whatever was playing on Lonnie's phone. Her dark tresses were pulled up into a ponytail and Max's hair was starting to reach his ears.

Max made his way over to Abigail, bumping shoulders with her and giving her a hug. Despite him being the youngest boy, Max had always been close with Abby for some reason. Even more so after they had lost Thomas. In a way, Abby had been crying out for someone who could fill the void that was left in her heart despite Thomas always being with her - _inside of her_.

Lonnie, his youngest, spotted him first - bright green and blue eyes growing wide. He couldn't help but smile, despite the slight horror crossing her features. Kai had always loved that she had been born with heterochromia.

What drink Lonnie had in her hand came crashing to the floor, bringing everyone to focus on just what she was looking at. Those who had been seated immediately stood up and those already standing were closing the distance. Except for Lydia. She hung back.

Max, however, was the first to finally say something. "D-Dad?"

Everyone looked at Kai, seeing the _much younger_ version of the father they knew. Kai lifted up one of his hands and gave his trademark, finger-wagging wave. "Hi kids."

* * *

 _~ 1903 Prison World ~_

Cutting through The Falls had been easy. Or, at least, it would have been if Bonnie didn't have so much fabric to heft around in her arms. She had cut a harsh glare in Kai's direction as he snickered at her while they trudged through the snow. He hefted a large, burlap satchel over his shoulders and she had several velvet bags and baskets in her arms. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of letting him know that she was struggling with her skirts.

Kai had mentioned to her that he'd spied out a pretty decent house several miles from the Salvatore Mansion. While the idea of traveling for miles didn't really bother Bonnie, it irked her nerves that he had refused to teleport them there. She knew he was capable of it. But there was still something he was keeping from her.

She wanted to bite her own tongue for having agreed to wait until they had fully relocated before forcing him to divulge everything to her.

But, true to his word, Kai had siphoned out all of the magic from the house and as soon as all the devices had been replaced, he bled some of the magic into her. She felt stronger than she had been in days, her magic singing in her veins - almost bringing herself to tears once she'd gotten it back. Kai hadn't poked fun at her, seeing how elated she had been. Bonnie was at least grateful he had let her salvage a little of her pride.

When she glanced behind her, Bonnie paused in her steps suddenly. Kai stopped, tilting his head slightly as a curious expression swept across his face. But it quickly dissolved as his brows furrowed and he whipped around, his hand already poised and ready to strike. However, when he saw that there was nothing behind them, he looked at Bonnie with a mixture of confusion.

"What's the matter?"

Bonnie just studied him and then her eyes went to the ground behind him. "What are you doing?"

"What?"

She pointed just over his shoulder. "You've been erasing our tracks," she said pointedly. Again, Kai tilted his head but this time from the other side. "Why are you wasting magic doing that? We already don't have enough between the two of us."

Kai rolled his eyes and proceeded. As his feet crunched in the snow, the tracks vanished behind him. "Hush and come on. Or do you want our fellow prison world inmates being able to find us so easily?"

Bonnie whirled around, glaring at the back of his head. God, it pissed her off how matter-of-fact he was about everything. "They already know we're here, Kai. There's no point." She stalked forward and Kai slowed down so that she could walk ahead of him so he could work on erasing the tracks she made.

"And this is also 1903. There aren't many structures here like in the future. There are only so many places that we can hole up at."

She tossed one of the bags at him. Bonnie then lifted up her skirts and began trudging through the snow. "I can't wait to get back home."

He snorted. "Yeah, that makes two of us."

* * *

 _~ 1903 Prison World - A Few Hours Later ~_

He didn't know when he'd become a pack mule, but trudge on he did as he ascended the short set of steps leading to the front door of the mansion that he'd scouted out a few weeks prior.

Kai grunted as he set Bonnie down on the front porch, making sure to remind her to favor her good foot as she slid off his back. She swore at him, also reminding him that she wasn't an idiot. But he begged to differ. He'd told her to change back into her regular clothes before they'd left the Salvatore Mansion, but she'd insisted that she wasn't going to wear her clothes until it was time for them to go back home. Sentimentalism, it seemed. Or she didn't want to constantly be reminded of home.

Either way, it had resulted in Bonnie tripping over the skirts of the dress she was wearing and she wound up spraining her ankle. He'd insisted that he could heal it with magic, but the girl was hell-bent on being a Scrooge. Kai was so annoyed with her that he wanted to tear his hair out sometimes. Now that she knew that there were devices out there that could suck up her magic, Bonnie had been wanting to conserve every single ounce of magic they had between them.

Kai shooed Bonnie away from the door as she rattled the knob. It was locked tight. Pulling out a set of lock picks he'd pilfered from the Salvatore Manor, Kai quickly unhooked the latch and opened the door. He gave a wide gesture and bowed his head. "Ladies first."

She cast a sidelong glance at him before rolling her eyes and lifting her skirts up along with a few of the bags. "You know what? Nothing you do surprises me anymore."

He gave a mock-expression of hurt, his hand resting on his chest dramatically. "Why, Bonnie Bennett! I am shocked and _appalled_ by your assessment of me." Lifting the remaining bags and baskets into his arms, he entered the foyer and closed the door with his foot. Making sure she wasn't looking, Kai flicked used a pinch of magic to lock the door behind them. "I'll have you know that there are a few more tricks up this Parker witch's sleeve."

Bonnie scoffed, flashing a grin at him. "Nothing I'd want to see, I'm sure."

He waggled his brows at her playfully. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Whatever, Kai," she mused while pushing further into the manor.

"Bedrooms are upstairs," he said casually. "Master bedroom's the last one all the way down the hall."

She paused, turning to raise her brows at him. "You're giving me the master bedroom?"

"No."

"Then why tell me?"

"Because that's where we're sleeping."

"Excuse me?"

He grinned. "I'm sorry, was I not speaking English?"

Bonnie frowned. "I'm not sharing a room with you, Kai."

Kai's grin remained. "Uh, yeah you are," he said pointedly. "We are safer together than we are apart. Humans are the most vulnerable when they're sleeping. You especially. You sleep like a rock."

"We're not sleeping in the same room, Kai!"

"Sorry, this isn't up for debate." Kai brushed past her and began making his way up the stairs. He handed her a couple of wicker baskets and took a few of the bags from her as he continued to climb up the stairwell. "Take those to the kitchen for me? I'll make lunch once I get us all squared away."

"I'm serious Kai!"

He began whistling, pretending he hadn't heard her.

* * *

 _~ 1903 Prison World - One Week Later ~_

Bonnie wanted to run Kai through with a fire poker. She'd wanted to do it so bad, she'd voiced the desire out loud and had, surprisingly, received a bout of laughter from Kai instead. When she asked what the hell was so funny, he explained to her that he'd already "been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt." Apparently, Liv had attempted to do just that to him. She was about to praise his little sister until he spilled that she had tried to run him through when he had been attempting to save Bonnie's life.

She didn't say anything the rest of the afternoon.

Kai had done a thorough search of the house, making sure that no Gemini gadgets were hanging around. He'd found a few curious items - to which he'd showed her immediately. But nothing important. Nothing as important as what he had revealed that night when they settled in for the evening for bed.

Stuffing pillows between them, creating a very definitive "do not cross" barrier, Bonnie waited patiently for Kai to finally reveal everything that he had been keeping from her. By the time he had finished and fallen asleep, Bonnie wished that he had kept it all to himself. She wished she could rewind time and stop him from ever opening his mouth about what he'd told her.

Heretics.

Witches who had been turned into vampires...who could wield magic!

The very thought sent a cold shiver up her back. If she wasn't afraid before, she was definitely afraid now. The one advantage she had over vampires was that she was a witch. She could stop them from ever getting too close so long as she had a reserve of power to draw from. But a vampire who was also a witch? She'd never faced anything like that before.

Kai had reassured her that they were siphons previously before they were turned. He must have seen the trepidation in her eyes. But while his attempts were appreciated, they were in vain. Because vampires had magic in their blood. As siphoners, they could draw from _their own_ magic from the vampire blood and use it. But something else still bothered her...

Why try to steal the magic from another witch? Why not just use their own limitless power supply?

Without having to be told, Bonnie had discovered the answer on her own. If they used too much of the magic drawn from their vampire side, they would lose the enhancements that made vampires so terrifying. Because they were drawing from their own life force, in a sense. Too much and they'd kill themselves.

"Bon?"

She screamed, dropping the pan she'd been holding and winced as it clattered on the kitchen floor. The eggs she'd been cooking were ruined now ruined. Who was she kidding? They were already burning. It was probably why Kai had made his way to the kitchen in the first place.

He clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth and shook his head, picking up the pan and scooping up the burnt eggs into it. "Geez woman, where is your head at?"

Kai snapped his fingers and the burnt eggs disappeared. He gently prodded her to move so he could prepare a proper breakfast. Bonnie grasped his hand as he began reaching for the eggs. "Kai, we need to get out of here."

He laughed a little at her. "I know, Bonster. We're working on it. But first, your magic needs to come back."

"I'm serious, Kai. We need to leave as soon as possible! I don't care if my magic isn't back all the way. We need to go!"

Kai's expression turned serious. "No. It's too risky if you're not at full power."

"I don't care!"

"Well I do and the answer is no!"

Bonnie blinked in surprise, not sure how she felt at hearing the anger in Kai's voice as well as seeing it etched on his face. His nostrils flared, clearly not okay with her resolve in wanting to ditch the place at the risk of her own life. Sighing, Bonnie decided she wasn't going to keep fighting him. Kai was right. Recklessness was just going to hinder them from their goals.

Pressing a hand to her forehead, Bonnie sighed and sank down into one of the chairs near the breakfast nook. "Sorry, I'm on edge," she mused, not sure why she was letting her scattered nerves get to her. "I just wanna get outta here."

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Feeling her back tense at Kai's close proximity, she tried to keep her nerves under control. But Bonnie felt her fingers curling into her fists as she gripped the fabric of her dress. She knew that Kai was fighting with something. Knew he was trying to decide what he should do in this kind of situation. He was still struggling with his new emotions. Bonnie knew this. Part of her even wanted to help him. But Bonnie also knew that if he tried to comfort her now, if he so much as laid a hand on her, she'd fucking lose it.

"Bon?"

She shut her eyes. "Kai, don't."

There was a pause and she could feel the magic pulsing from him. "I...I don't know what to do." Another pause. "Tell me what I should do. What do I need to do?"

Bonnie scrunched her shoulders up as if bracing herself for an oncoming blow. "Please, just don't..." She could feel her lower lip quivering as her brows furrowed deeper. "Don't."

But he didn't stop. He stepped closer to her and felt all of her muscles coiled up and ready to jump out of her skin like a spring. He was going to touch her, to try and console her. And she was going to explode.

The moment his hand fell along her shoulder, feeling his fingers along her skin, Bonnie jumped up from the chair and knocked it over in the process. It fell with a harsh clatter to the floor and Bonnie's eyes flashed angrily at him. He reeled back, his hand hovering in the air from where she'd been just moments ago. Unable to stop herself, tears quickly slid down her cheeks and she bit the inside of her mouth to keep her anger bubbling on the surface.

"Didn't I tell you to stop?! God, why can't you just listen?!"

Kai's eyes shifted to the left, avoiding her gaze before lifting to meet hers again. "Bonnie," he said gently, trying to coax her into coming down from her lividity.

He took a step forward and she, in response, took a step back. Bonnie shook her head back and forth, not wanting any of his pity or consolation. She just wanted to be left alone. "Go away!"

Her breathing grew more and more rapid, her heart rate speeding up and she could feel her breath catching in her throat in a way that caused her immense pain. Her hand went up to her chest, pressing the heel of her palm along her stomach in an attempt to steady her breathing but it only managed to come out clipped and ragged.

"Bonnie, listen to me," Kai said calmly. It made her so angry. "You have got to calm down, okay?"

A small pillar of fire erupted from the stove, causing both Bonnie and Kai to eye it - watching it climb higher toward the ceiling. Bonnie's arms trembled, the vibrations moving through her entire body. Her lips parted, her shortness of breath increasing and Kai quickly closed the distance between them. She tried to fight him, but he was physically stronger than her and the fire showed no signs of stopping. He grasped her shoulders, fingers curling over her skin and almost setting her aflame. She continued to cry, hyperventilating from the surge of tumultuous emotions barrelling through her.

"Bonnie! Come on, you have gotta breathe!"

"It's your fault!" she screamed, shaking her head wildly as she clawed at the fabric of his shirt, wanting him anywhere but near her. "This is your fault, Kai Parker! Why'd you have to go and save me?! Why'd you have to give me a reason to come back here for you? WHY?!"

Her magic was swirling out of control, causing her hair to rise up as her green eyes sparked violently. His fingers dug even further into her skin, causing her magic to sing. He was going to siphon her at any moment. She just knew it. Bonnie was almost begging for it at this point. She started hitting him in the chest, knowing her physical blows weren't doing any real damage. Nothing that would have meant anything and it just sent her into another tizzy, screaming and shouting and cursing him for ever existing.

Why wasn't he siphoning her? If he didn't do something, she was going to burn the house down. She was going to kill them both and there was a part of Bonnie that almost didn't care. Because if it was a choice between facing a bunch of vampire witches with strength and magic and facing death, Bonnie would have rather faced death. She was used to death. She could handle death. She'd danced with death before. Death she could handle.

Suddenly, Kai's hands were on her cheeks and lifting her face up his. She was about to protest, scream at him to back off, but her words were silenced when she felt his lips sealing over her own. Blinking rapidly, she tried to pull herself free but Kai held her in place. He continued to kiss her - little quick pecks against the swells of her mouth until he finally was able to gently prod her mouth open. He nibbled at her mouth, causing her heart to thrum heavily against her chest and her hands ceased attempting to beat him back - falling along his wrists instead. Her fingers slowly curled around his wrists, nails digging into his skin but she didn't fight him off of her. Instead, her heartbeat slowed and her breathing began to regulate itself. Her chest rose and fell slowly, taking deep breaths whenever their lips would part before she felt his mouth fall on hers again.

When he finally broke the kiss, Bonnie blinked up at him. The fire was gone from the stove and her tears had stopped falling. He continued to hold her face in his hands, noticing that his irises were completely blown - a thin gray-blue ring barely encompassing the blackness. Her bottom lip trembled still, unsure of what she should have been feeling at seeing the wisp of a smile playing on his face.

"Better?" Bonnie averted her gaze, nodding her head once. "You were having a panic attack."

She said nothing. All she did was continue to look at him, realizing that her cheeks were growing hotter even after his hands had fallen to his side. Green eyes searched his own, looking for something. But she didn't know what.

"Bonnie?"

And then she felt a surge of anger push up from her gut.

 _"Motus!"_

Bonnie stormed out and ran up the stairs, not caring that she'd just sent Kai flying over the kitchen island.

* * *

 _ **AN:** So this was more of a character development chapter. I wanted to give you guys a little bit more on "Present Kai" regarding his children (yes, he and Bonnie had seven children, lord help me)! I also wanted to show how being back in the Prison World for an extended period of time, even the 1903 one, is rattling Bonnie's nerves. She's still grown and developed, but the idea of being stuck again is starting to get to her. I hope you guys liked this chapter! Please continue to leave me reviews! They truly do help a lot guys~ Love you!_


	6. One Way Or Another

"DAD!"

Kai fell to a heap on the floor, blood pooling from his neck as he felt his body convulsing from the muscle spasms. His mouth gurgled blood and he coughed, feeling his vision grow dark. Damn, how long had it been since he'd felt this kind of pain? It used to feel euphoric. This just sucked.

He could feel his breath becoming shallower with each passing second, barely aware of his children grasping onto him and shaking him. He had told them not to interfere before he'd brought the switchblade out and stabbed himself in the neck with it. Their nerves were too frazzled and clearly too shocked to properly react in time. He could feel their magic all over the place.

Kai smiled as he took his dying breath, the room growing foggy and dim. The last thing he heard was the sobs of his children.

He didn't know how long he was out. The times he died and came back varied, depending on the severity of the injury. He remembered when he'd burned himself alive that it had taken himself a full day to recover. Apparently, skin cells take time to recover and, well, being burnt through to the bone probably had something to do with it.

God, he was so fucked up back then. Before Bonnie Bennett had come into his life.

Sounds were muffled in his ears and he could sense magic all around him. He had most assuredly died. But in that space of silence and darkness, Kai could have sworn that he'd heard Bonnie's voice. A soft, lilting sound that he knew that he would always fall for, time and again. He loved that woman; that damned stubborn witch of his. The only woman to have snatched his heart from his chest without warning.

Or had he given it to her long before he'd even realized he was capable of it?

Sucking in a mouthful of air, Kai sat upright, clutching at his chest as the fog around his eyes began to clear. There were sharp gasps of surprise echoing around him before several pairs of arms began wrapping around his upper body. Abigail and Lonnie both were sobbing hysterically against him while everywhere else were the palms of his other children grasping onto him - making sure that he was real. That he was, indeed, alive.

"Jesus Dad!" cried Josiah as Kai's eyesight fully returned. His son's expression was horrified but it quickly was replaced with outrage. "Fucking hell!"

His hands reached out and gently stroked Lonnie and Abigail's backs as they held onto him for dear life. Lydia slowly stood up, flabbergasted by what she'd just seen. Max and Emilio just bit their lips and stared with wide-eyed disbelief. He couldn't blame his kids. It wasn't every day that they saw someone drop dead on the floor right before their eyes. Let alone stabbing themselves in the neck.

Abigail and Lonnie pulled away from him, tears staining their faces. Lonnie's face was torn between anger and sorrow, emphasizing her seizing emotions by repeatedly slapping Kai's chest. He coughed, laughing gently as he raised his brows at his youngest child. "Hey, hey! You trying to kill me again?"

"That's not funny Dad! You didn't have to _show_ us! We would have believed you...after awhile..."

Abigail sniffed loudly. "You're insane, Dad, you know that?"

Kai laughed outright, shaking his head and quipping a brow. "Your mom didn't marry me because I'm sane and wholesome, Abby, I can promise you that."

"What _are you_ , Dad?" Everyone glanced up to Lydia who was still standing in shock, her arms folded tightly against her chest. Her brows were knit in anger. "Just what the hell did you do?" Kai's brows furrowed as his other children looked between Lydia and then back to him. "What have you done?! Why are you like that? Why is Mom dead and you're still alive?!"

"Liddy, I-"

"And just look at you! You're practically the same age as Lonnie!"

His brows cinched further, lips forming a thin line.

"Was it a spell?" Max spoke up quietly. Kai could see the hurt in his youngest son's malachite tones.

Guilt immediately swam through him, mentally cursing himself for not thinking things through. He should have predicted the shock would have been too much. Bonnie and Kai both had done everything they could to make sure that they raised their children as free and upright as possible; standing up for their own wants and needs. Bonnie had lacked an actual family for so very long and Kai had been forced into isolation against his will. They never wanted that for their children.

Out of their kids, Lonnie was the only siphoner. She had felt alone and confused at first, having nearly killed Max when they had been playing tag. Wracked with guilt, Bonnie had insisted that Kai be the one to explain her "unique" gift. All of her brothers and sisters had embraced it openly and loved her even more, another lesson Bonnie had imparted to their kids.

Always making sure to look out for one another. To not be prejudiced against anyone and to always do what they thought was the right thing - but never at the sacrifice of themselves. He and Bonnie had done enough martyring for all of their children.

They also made sure that there were no secrets in their family. None that would ultimately hurt them in the end. All of his children knew about his blood-stained past. Knew that he had flown off the deep end and murdered his siblings; killed in cold blood. They had been on the receiving end of his ire, spurred on by the constant neglect of his father and the rest of the Gemini Coven who held influence in their magical circle. Because of how they'd reared up their children, they did not hold it against him. They understood how horrible some of the Gemini traditions were, most of which they adamantly _did not follow_ as per their own choice.

The Merge, however, was something that couldn't be avoided. It was laced through their Gemini blood. Merging with Luke had changed him. But even before that, Bonnie had already initiated the changes in him.

Because she was the first beautiful thing he'd seen in his never-ending hell.

* * *

 _~ 1903 Prison World ~_

 _Bonnie could feel the last dregs of sleep leaving her. Her back ached and while the bed she had been sleeping in had been comfortable, she had been having a fitful sleep. Tossing and turning here and there, she absently wondered if she was keeping Kai awake. Flipping onto her side, she looked over the wall of pillows to check on him but saw that Kai was missing. An uncomfortable feeling twisted up in the pit of her stomach and she immediately clambered out of bed._

 _"Kai?"_

 _The door to the bedroom creaked loudly as she stepped out into the hallway, holding a lantern to light her way. But even with the glow of the flames, the darkness seemed to be swallowing up everything around her and threatening to swallow her with it. It was also eerily quiet, her steps silent as her bare feet practically glided along the hardwood floors._

 _One by one, she opened doors and checked rooms. Kai was still nowhere to be found. But as she made her way to the top of the stairwell, the image she saw almost had Bonnie dropping the lantern. A sharp gasp escaped her lips, her hand covering her mouth at the sight of Kai lying in a heap on the floor in a pool of blood. His blue eyes were staring, slowly clouding over as death overtook him._

 _"Oh my God! KAI!"_

 _Before she could take a step, cold hands grabbed her shoulders and pain immediately tore through her. The magic was being drawn out of her and she could see the red glow of siphoning at work. Heat and death gripped at her, the lantern slipping from her fingers and crashing by her feet. Flames licked the oil that spilled free and Bonnie slowly craned her neck to see the face of her attacker. But she already knew who it was, even before she saw the spidery veins and sinister red and black eyes of the Heretic._

 _His lips parted, fangs snapping free as he whipped Bonnie around to fully face him - draining her magic with each passing second. Before Bonnie could open her mouth, to demand who her attacker was, she watched the Heretic jerk his head forward to sink his teeth into her neck._

 _All she saw was red - the sound of maniacal laughter drowning out her screams._

"-onnie! Bonnie wake up!"

Her body was being shaken, her legs and arms flailing wildly as she came out of her nightmare screaming. Eyes flying open, Bonnie sat up with a jolt and felt her chest smashing into Kai's, his arms immediately encircling her as she continued to erratically whip her arms around. Even though she was awake from the night terror, Bonnie kept screaming and tried to wriggle out of his arms but he held fast - refusing to release her.

"Let me go! LET ME GO!"

"BONNIE!"

He shook her roughly, making her teeth clack and biting her tongue. She could taste the coppery tang of her blood, the pain bringing her back swiftly to reality. She didn't know what she looked like, but whatever expression she had on her face had Kai clenching his jaw and Bonnie watched the muscle tick just below his ear.

They sat there for a long time, not saying a word to each other. Finally, he slipped out of the bed and pulled her out with him.

"W-What are you doing?" she stammered, still reeling from her nightmare. "Where are we going?"

"Downstairs," he said as they crossed the room. Bonnie dug her heels into the floor, resisting him. Kai glanced over his shoulder at her as she shook her head wildly back and forth. "What?"

She frowned, tasting the blood on her tongue. "It's already after dark."

"Bon, we're safe," he said, his voice reassuring.

She wanted desperately to believe him. But Bonnie couldn't shake that horrible dream. Even the pain in her mouth did nothing to convince her that this wasn't a dream. That she hadn't just fallen into another nightmare.

Unfortunately, Kai wasn't taking no for an answer from her. He continued to pull her until she had no choice but to relent and follow. When they reached the stairwell, however, she paused just as Kai took two steps down. Again, she resisted him and, again, he looked at her and patiently waited for her to come to grips with herself before they both descended. They bee-lined for the kitchen, the candles lighting almost instantly, and only when he was near the pantry did he finally release her hand.

She unconsciously began wringing her fingers against each other as he retrieved some salt and a kettle, filling the pot with water and then heating up the stove. After a few minutes, he was pouring hot water into a cup and then added three teaspoons of salt into it - stirring the mixture. He hovered his hand over the steam, focusing his gaze and soon the steam wasn't as pronounced. He gestured to the cup and Bonnie complied, lifting it up to her lips and finding the lukewarm brew was soothing against her throbbing tongue. The pain soon subsided.

"Don't swallow," he mused, folding his arms across his chest as she rolled her eyes.

"I know this trick, thank you," she snipped around a mouthful of saltwater before spitting into the sink. She did this three more times before the pain disappeared and she could no longer taste blood on her tongue. "How did you even know I'd bitten my tongue?"

He reached out suddenly, causing Bonnie to rear back but he was faster and his thumb brushed along the side of her mouth and smoothed down to her chin. She blinked up at him in surprise, her heartbeat escalating and drumming loudly in her ears. The pad of his thumb lingered on her chin for a moment before he pulled his hand back, showing her the fresh coat of blood. He gave a triumphant smirk at the look of shock on her face.

Kai said nothing, however, and Bonnie could only clear her throat loudly before draining the cup and setting it into the sink soon after. She started making her way around Kai but was soon forced to a halt as he stuck his arm out in front of her - impeding her path. Craning her neck to look at him, her green eyes flashed with annoyance. "Now what?"

"You gonna tell me what happened?"

She scoffed. "Nothing happened, it was just a nightmare."

"So bad it had you screaming my name and thrashing like a patient at the psych ward?"

Bonnie blinked. "Wait, what?"

He leaned forward, crowding her - getting into her personal space, like always. "You were crying too."

"Was not!" she snapped, her hand immediately going to her face and she almost blanched at the wetness on her cheek. Roughly she swiped at her face to get rid of the evidence but she knew it was too late.

"I rest my case."

"Shut-up."

He sighed, folding his arms back across his chest. "What was your nightmare about?" She glowered at him but he was unfazed. "Just tell me."

Bonnie knew he wasn't going to let this go. There were too many things working against her and she knew that he would just pester her all damn day until she divulged what she was hiding. Wiping a hand across her face, Bonnie groaned before turning her head away from him. "The Heretics." Predictably, he was dissatisfied with this answer - his brows raised in question as he waited for her to continue. Bonnie rolled her eyes, still refusing to look at him but could see his face out of the corner of her eye. "They came after us. Or, well, they came after me." She turned her head to look up at him. "You were already dead."

His serious expression melted into amusement. "Me? Dead? Without a fight?" His grin widened. "Well, that's just unfair."

She snorted. "Hurt your pride?"

"A little bit, yeah," he said in mid-chuckle. "You're alive and I'm dead? What kind of shit is that?"

She laughed suddenly, unable to even reason why that was funny. Bonnie felt relief wash over her. She wasn't sure _why_ , but the sight of Kai dead in her nightmare had shaken her more than she would have ever dared to admit. There was a part of her that wanted to pinch herself, to feel the pain so she knew that this was real. That this, too, wasn't some dream.

Bonnie chose to pinch him instead.

"Ow!" he cried, half laughing as he shrank back from her. "What the hell, Bon?"

"I had to make sure that this was real. That you were real." Her expression was completely serious but there was a teasing glint in her eyes.

His brows rose up in disbelief? "Say what?" He laughed again. "News flash, Bon, but it doesn't really work that way."

"Yeah?" She raised her brows defiantly. "Well I feel better just the same."

"You are, by far, the most aggravating-"

The sound of glass smashing brought them out of their moment of peace immediately. Both she and Kai's eyes darted to the now shattered window, heat rushing into the kitchen as flames licked up the walls. She dipped her gaze in time to see that an oil lantern had been completely destroyed, the oil spreading and covering the floor. Flames raced across the surface, the glass by the back door breaking as another oil lantern sailed through.

Before Bonnie could process what was happening, Kai grabbed her hand and tugged her out of the kitchen and into the foyer. Her heart was hammering loudly in her ears, the blood rushing to her feet as her breath hitched when Kai came to a complete halt. Unprepared for the sudden stop, Bonnie crashed into his back with a loud grunt. She was about to demand why he'd stopped, his grip tightening, when she caught sight of the flames roaring mercilessly in front of him.

Kai didn't waste a second, dragging Bonnie behind him as they ascended the stairwell. Her thoughts were the same as his. She didn't even need to ask him where he was going.

They needed to get The Ascendant.

* * *

 _~ 1903 Prison World ~_

"Hurry and change," he instructed, locking the door behind him. Thankfully, he didn't have to tell Bonnie twice. In fact, he would have voiced his relief in not having to explain himself if the whole damn house wasn't going up in smoke.

The good thing about urgency? There was no time for modesty. Bonnie didn't take seconds to strip to her underwear and finally put on her clothes from the real world. The bad thing about urgency? Kai didn't have time to enjoy the view as he had been rushing to put his clothes on as well.

Once fully dressed, he watched Bonnie rifling through the drawers and stuffed the Ascendant into her coat pocket. They met in the middle of the room and he could see the desperation in her eyes. Fear lingered there, but Kai knew that it wouldn't last long. Not with the Bonnie Bennett he knew. That fear? It would be replaced with anger soon enough.

And goddamn if that shit wasn't hot.

"What now?"

Kai almost laughed. Instead, he smiled. "Well, unless you want to experience what the old Salem witches did back in the day, I suggest we get out of here."

There was another crash from downstairs. Bonnie's breath hitched and Kai reached out, grabbing her hands in his. She looked over his shoulder at the door, her eyes widening and he whipped his head around to see the smoke starting to come in from under the door. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth in annoyance. "Shit."

Pulling her with him, he shoved the bedroom window open and helped her out onto the landing just outside of it. He clambered out behind her, shutting the window for good measure. They both glanced over the edge and Bonnie looked at him, curiosity and confusion intermingling together. "You better not be thinking what I think you're thinking."

He grinned.

"Kai, are you crazy?!"

"Aw, Bonster, don't tell me you're just now figuring that out about me?"

Her expression turned horrified and he gripped onto her hands even tighter. "Kai..."

"It's fine," he reassured her, but she was not convinced. "Just trust me, alright?"

They didn't have the luxury for her to try and prepare herself for such a leap of faith. But Kai waited anyway. The part of him that was screaming at him, reminding him about self-preservation, was attempting to overpower the other voice in him. The voice that had always been there and had always been quiet. But it had gotten louder. Ever since he'd met the witch in front of him.

Bonnie seemed to come to some kind of decision and she steeled her face, green eyes glowing with anger that he somehow knew wasn't directed at him. _That's the Bonnie Bennett I know._

A firm nod was all he needed for confirmation. He held her hands tightly, moving them up and down in a prepping motion. Up. Up. And with the final rise, they both jumped off the ledge and Kai focused all of his energy onto the ground. A spray of powder surrounded them, the gravity shifting beneath their feet as their landing was cushioned with magic. When Bonnie next looked at him, there was a sparkle of surprise there and he winked in response.

But their victory was short-lived as the door to the house slammed open violently. Kai didn't even look behind him as he released Bonnie's hand, holding onto just one and surging forward. "Run!"

They kicked up snow as they ran, ducking into the woods. Their legs ate up the ground, his heart pumping blood and reminding him that he was alive. Unfortunately, this wasn't his prison world. He couldn't just die and get a free resurrection pass. And now that Bonnie was with him? Well, dying was just out of the question. Especially with her magic still in recovery-mode.

Even as they ran full force through the forest, Kai was mentally cursing his coven and marking off a check list of people he was going to be visiting when they got out of that hell. And by damn if they _weren't_ getting out of there. Vampire witches or not? They didn't want to deal with Malachai Parker when he was pissed off and backed into a corner.

He zig-zagged through the woods, turning and whipping Bonnie with him. Her breath was labored, but nothing he had to worry about. He figured it was the adrenaline rushing her lungs like this. So he pushed forward, no sign of stopping until they were able to reach a safe zone. Kai's ears picked up the sound of rushed footsteps, the wind changing around them. The Heretics were already closing in fast.

A metallic snap zinged through the air and Kai screamed, his body collapsing into the snow as pain immediately shot up from his right leg. Bonnie tripped over him, falling into the snow just a foot from him. He sucked in air through his teeth, his gaze darting down to his leg and horrified to see that he'd gotten caught in an animal trap. "S-Son of a bitch," he stammered, a pained chuckle pushing from him as he realized just how stupid he probably looked.

Bonnie scrambled to his side, eyes locked onto the trap and the crimson stain blossoming over his jeans. "Jesus!"

Her hands went to the trap, attempting to pry it open and she almost screamed with frustration. Kai was in too much pain to calm her down and he watched her gather herself up quickly. Her hands hovered over the trap and she whispered a spell, the metal bindings releasing him. She was about to check his leg when he swatted her hands away. Bonnie glared at him. "I have to heal you!"

"No time."

"If you think you're running with that leg, you better think again."

Kai couldn't listen to this. They needed to go. Now.

He curled his legs under him, rolling over so his knees were planted into the snow. Sucking in breath through his lungs, Kai pushed his body upright and focused all of the weight onto his one leg. Bonnie followed suit, already looping her arm around his waist and draping the other across her shoulder. Even though he tried to shake her off, she stubbornly insisted on staying put.

"Bonnie-"

"Shut-up Kai," Bonnie snapped, the anger and frustration dancing in her green depths. "Shut-up before I make you."

He said nothing else, letting Bonnie lead him as he hobbled on one leg. At some point, he could sense her labored breathing and felt her quickening her pace. She must have sensed the Heretics approaching as well.

Kai didn't know how long they had been shuffling along, but Bonnie had been mimicking his earlier movements - changing their direction and even back tracking a few times to throw their pursuers off. Before long, Bonnie had shuffled them into a nearby cemetery. A stone crypt was only a few yards away, but Bonnie halted her steps and put up a barrier spell just at the edge of the graveyard. She then ushered him into the crypt, sealing the door behind her.

He slumped against a wall and slid to the ground. His leg was completely numb. As Bonnie lit a lantern's candle, he couldn't help but laugh despite the pain he was in. "A cemetery, Bon?" She cut her eyes at him. "How fitting."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Didn't I tell you to shut-up already?"

She made her way over to him and set the lantern down by his leg. He tried to pull away from her but she planted her knee down on his thigh to keep him from moving further. Sneaky witch. She began rolling up his pants leg, gasping at what she saw. Her shoulders were obscuring his line of sight so he couldn't see just how bad his injury was. "It looks worse than it feels," he lied. It felt like someone had chopped his fucking foot off.

"I really wish you would shut-up," she said softly, her voice thick - as if she was holding something back. "Just...shut-up and let me concentrate."

Her hands were over his ankle and he winced, shutting his eyes and biting back another shout of pain. He knew what Bonnie was about to do and he wished she wouldn't. But he knew that she wasn't going to stop until she got her way. So he waited for the magic to seep into his pores and shoot up his veins, his lips parting from the sensations riding through his nervous system. A silent yell was all he could manage, a choking sound escaping the back of his throat as Bonnie began healing his wound.

Kai could tell from the pain and the pounding at the back of his head that she was only halfway concentrating. Her nerves were rattled and her hands were shaking along his skin. After a few minutes, however, the pain subsided and she slowly began to lean back until her butt hit the ground. Her eyes were still focused on his ankle and now that she was finally out of the way, he could look at it.

It was bruised and surface was bloody, but definitely healed. There was a soft ache as he began rotating his foot and this made Bonnie jump back. She clearly had zoned out. Her neck craned toward his, her green eyes shining in the glow of the candlelight. He was about to give her an off-handed joke when the tears that spilled from eyes stopped him. "Bon?"

He looked at her and watched with mild amazement at whatever walls she'd had up crumbling down around her, right before his eyes. She half sobbed and his brows furrowed, guilty for knowing that he was the cause. Everything was so fucked up and now she was crying again. Crying because of him.

Kai reached out to her and she seemed so far away. His leg still ached so he couldn't move around like he wanted. But Bonnie, like always, moved faster. She lunged forward, causing him to gasp as her body slammed into his chest. Arms still stretched out, they hovered over her back as she openly cried into his chest. Not knowing what else to do, Kai wrapped his arms around her and held her in a strong embrace.

Her body trembled and he grew angry and frustrated, suddenly wishing that there was more that he could do. But all he could do was hold her. As his thoughts raced with what they were going to do now, Kai closed his eyes and attempted to push the already dulling pain into the back of his mind. There wasn't much time. They needed to get the hell out of there.

They needed to get back home.

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _Woo! Sorry this took longer than I had anticipated. I got caught up with work and life and other things! But I promise I didn't forget about you guys. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! We won't be in 1903 for much longer, I promise! Thank you all for all the kind comments! Please rate and review! It means the world to me!_


	7. The Cold Sun

Kai sat in the kitchen, zoning out into space as he stared at his wedding band. Emilio shuffled around, presumably making coffee from what he could smell. The roasted beans were circulating throughout and while it calmed his nerves, he couldn't stop the muscle at his jaw from ticking as he clenched his teeth together. While he knew that his children were still around the house, they had all dispersed after a bit so they could mull over their own thoughts. The house was blanketed in a heavy feeling of apprehension.

He couldn't blame them. He wouldn't. But as much remorse as he felt for regurgitating all the information that he had, Kai's own mind was racing with something else.

Why hadn't it worked? He had spent the better part of five years perfecting that damned spell. He had worked and reworked it, quadruple checking his Latin and the enchantment's sequence. Even the runes he'd poured over all worked. Made sense. They all _fit._

So why? Why hadn't it worked?!

A steaming mug was set in front of him, bringing Kai out of his thoughts as he saw Emilio slip into the empty chair beside him. He smiled gently to his son but couldn't get rid of the worry lines that were surely on his face. "Thanks Emile," Kai said softly.

Emilio cradled his own cup, lifting it to his face and sipping thoughtfully as he continued staring at Kai. They both stayed in companionable silence for a while. He could feel his son's leg shaking under the table; a habit that he hadn't been able to break no matter how many times Bonnie had smacked his knee for it. Kai couldn't help the smile that broke across his face as he drank his coffee.

"She'll come around," Emilio finally said.

Kai's brows raised slightly. "Hmm?"

"Lydia. She'll come around." Kai closed his eyes and almost scoffed. "I just think... Well, I think it shocked her more than the rest of us."

"She was always the more sensitive one."

"And the biggest grudge holder."

"Gets that from her mother."

Emilio snorted. "Mom said she gets that from you."

"From me?" Kai laughed heartily, opening one eye to peek at his son. "Now why would she go and say something like that?"

His son quirked his lips to the side, giving him a _Really, Dad?_ look, shaking his head slightly. "You spent eighteen years in solitary confinement, plotting the deaths of your entire coven." Emilio smirked over the rim of his coffee cup. "Pretty sure you're the worst grudge holder than Mom ever was."

"You have a point. But hey, I wound up not killing them in the end. Gimme some credit."

"Oh I do, Dad. Trust me, I do."

Kai sighed. "How's everyone else doing?"

"Lonnie's a mess," Emilio said easily, almost laughing. "Josiah is with her. Abby and Max are together. I think they went for a walk? Liddy's upstairs with Mom."

"Hmm," was all he offered, his lips pressed into a thin line. After another minute, Kai popped his mouth and looked down at his coffee. "I mean, how is everyone feeling?"

"The truth?"

"Of course."

"We're fucking scared."

Kai chuckled softly. "Of course."

"I'm serious, Dad," his son said a bit more firmly. "What we saw back there? That is _nothing_ like we've ever seen! It's nothing we've read about in books or anything you and Mom made us study when you both were training us in magic. It's unheard of!" He paused, grinning a little. "And maybe we're all just a little out of sorts about suddenly having a dad who looks younger than our baby sister."

Kai smiled but said nothing. He merely closed his eyes and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt an oncoming migraine.

"Is it dark magic?"

He looked at Emilio and saw the curiosity sweeping across his son's face. This set his mouth into a frown. "Everything related to the Gemini is dark magic, Son."

Emilio rolled his eyes. "Not true. I've poured over the archives, Dad. Come on. I'm not a kid anymore. I have two kids of my own." He reached out and grasped Kai's wrist gently. "Talk to me."

Biting his lower lip, he averted his son's gaze - the eyes that mirrored his own - and, instead, looked at the picture hanging on the wall just over Emilio's shoulder. It was a family photo they had all taken. Lonnie was cradled in Bonnie's arms, just three months old, and before Thomas and Abigail had performed The Merge ritual. Similar to the Christmas photo he'd taken with Josette, Luke and Olivia, they were all wearing ugly Christmas sweaters and relishing in the holiday cheer. Bonnie's smile was infectious - forever youthful to him despite them both being in their forties at the time it was taken.

Just seeing Bonnie caused Kai's bottom lip to shake before he tore his gaze away from the picture and covered his eyes with his hand. Emilio's grip tightened on his wrist and Kai felt himself fighting back tears that were threatening to spill forth.

"No matter what I do, I still can't seem to escape that hell..."

"Dad..."

"I tried so hard to get away from it. Your mother and I...we tried _everything we could_ to make it work." His voice was thick with emotion, almost cracking between a grunt and a sob. "I thought...I thought we..."

Kai couldn't even be bothered to worry about what he may have looked like to his son. He was normally strong and collected and hardly ever broke down like this in front of his children. Bonnie? Yes. But not his kids. Never his kids. Because he had to be a solid rock for them. He and Bonnie both.

"Why the hell did we go through all that madness only for us to wind up here?"

Emilio made a noise, causing Kai to move his hand from his eyes to look at his son. The tears were trapped, brimming his eyes but refusing to fall. "Dad, I'm sorry. We all know how much you and Mom loved each other."

"We did," he said, half choking back a sob. "When I realized what was wrong with me, I...I kept it from your mother for a long time. But there was a point I got scared. I was afraid of being left behind. And she..." Kai paused, quickly swiping at his face to rid himself of the tears. "...she didn't want to leave me alone."

* * *

 _~ 1903 Prison World ~_

Bonnie watched Kai as he slept. He'd only been out for fifteen minutes, but that was fifteen minutes more than he'd slept that night. She had a sneaking suspicion that he'd stayed up all night the moment she'd started having the nightmare. And if that were true, then she owed it to him to allow him to get a little bit of rest. They had run clear from one end of the woods to the other, still holed up in the cemetery. She hadn't sensed any movement along the barrier she'd created, but Bonnie knew she had to stay alert since it was her magic that was at work.

And there was the innate fear that lingered in mind that the Heretics would just suck the barrier down with their siphoning abilities. This set Bonnie's teeth on edge, feeling her anger mounting to severe heights. She hated that they were running around like a bunch of animals being hunted. But that was what was happening. _They were being hunted_ and it pissed her right off. She had tossed aside her fear of vampires years ago. Werewolves did not scare her either; not anymore.

But this? This was a new threat and she still didn't know what all they were capable of. But what she did know was that they could use the same abilities that she and Kai could. Additionally, they had superior speed and strength and senses, making them an even deadlier threat.

She toyed with the idea of using Expression, but knew that that would only create more problems than solve them. Not to mention that she still didn't completely trust Kai. While he may have acquired empathy from The Merge, she knew that he could never say no to power. Expression was too tantalizing and tempting to ignore. Hell, she had been entranced with it. Regardless of Atticus Shane's influence on her, Bonnie could not deny how much the dark power and flirting with danger had exhilarated her. The absolute _control_ she could wield with it - the devastation Bonnie brought to her enemies. The chaos...

Shaking her head wildly, she bit the side of her cheek to bring her out of her thoughts. "No." Her decision was final. She wouldn't touch that part of her magic. She had to leave it alone.

Kai groaned softly, her attention moving back to his face as it strained with something. His worry lines deepened and sheen of sweat glistened across his forehead and nose. Bonnie fished into her pocket for a handkerchief and began dabbing the sweat from his face. He was struggling with something. A nightmare of his own? She almost laughed. Why were they both having nightmares in this hell together?

When she moved to wipe at his neck, she gasped when she felt his hand snatch at her wrist - holding it in place. When his eyes fluttered open, Bonnie frowned. She wished he'd stop doing that.

He rolled his eyes, probably trying to get his vision to straighten out. When she caught his gray-blue eyes meeting her gaze, he smirked. Her frown deepened.

"What's the matter, Bonster?"

"I'm regretting having come back to get you."

"You don't mean that," he said easily, releasing her hand which immediately fell into her lap.

"I do."

"Liar."

Bonnie's lip curled up into a sneer. "I'd be home going to school like a normal college student if it weren't for you."

Kai bit his lower lip, averting his gaze and she felt slightly guilty for having lashed out at him. "Sorry..."

"Do you really mean that?"

He cut his eyes at her, his guilt melding with a flash of anger. "You think I don't?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, Kai. Do you?"

His expression darkened, causing a lump in her throat to form. "I didn't ask for any of this to happen, Bonnie. All I wanted..." He paused, shaking his head and sighing. "You know what? Never mind."

Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Nothing."

" _What_ , Kai?"

"Look, we don't have time for this," he said, shifting into a better sitting position. Her eyes flicked to his leg as she watched him shift it around. "We need to get back home."

"I agree. But, you see, we have one _teeny_ little problem." She threw her thumb over her shoulder. "There are these freaks of nature hunting us and my barrier will only last so long against them."

"Let _me_ worry about the witchpires. _You_ just focus on your own magic."

Bonnie watched him start to stand but she remained on the floor. She lofted a brow at him as he began shuffling around, his hands brushing along the surface of the walls. "And what exactly are you planning to do?"

A dark smirk was all she was given as an answer. She pursed her lips together in frustration. She was really getting sick of being left in the dark all the time when it came to what was going on in his head.

"How long ago did you put that barrier spell up?"

She got off the floor, dusting off the back of her jeans. "Thirty minutes ago?"

"And you haven't sensed any change in your spell, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Good," he mused, flexing his fingers as his knuckles popped. Bonnie could feel the magic radiating from him and she didn't like what that could possibly entail. "That means my cloaking spell is still in effect."

Bonnie stared at his back in disbelief. Unable to properly process what she'd just heard, she made her way to his side and leaned over so she could stare right into his face. "You're telling me you've had a cloaking spell up this whole time?"

"Yup."

"Even when you were unconscious?"

"Mmhm." He continued feeling against the walls.

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How is that even possible?"

Kai laughed a little, raising his brows at her and she wanted to smack him. "Impressed with my skills?"

"Hardly," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm just surprised you were able to hold a spell when you were knocked out."

He _tsked_ her and her frown deepened. "When we get out of here, I'm going to have to reeducate you on the nature of magic." She huffed, catching his smirk out the corner of her eye. "Spells just don't go away when the caster is knocked out or even killed. If you're a powerful enough witch, your spells can last for thousands of years."

Bonnie's mind replayed the images of Qetsiyah and Silas and this only caused her frown to transform into a grimace. It always wound up going back to Expression, didn't it? Instead of responding, Bonnie huffed and rolled her eyes again. She wouldn't cater to his need to hear his own voice. She'd keep quiet. Bonnie was curious, of course, and she knew that Kai had a plethora of knowledge in that twisted little head of his.

But to admit that she wanted to learn more? Wanted to study and ask questions and even desire help? No. Just no.

"A-ha!" came his triumphant call and Bonnie quirked a brow as Kai pressed the pads of his fingers against the stone. "I knew it."

She still said nothing but the curiosity had to be evident on her face. Kai looked over his shoulder at her, a wicked grin crossing his features. Just what was he scheming? Instead of voicing her question aloud, Bonnie just folded her arms across her chest.

"Bonnie, you beautiful witch," he said through a chuckle. "You brought us here on purpose, didn't you?"

She tilted her head slightly, trying to ignore his compliment. She was confused. "What?"

"Or, I guess I should say your witchy intuition brought us here." Kai looked back at the wall. "This is a witch's crypt."

"Wait, what?" Bonnie blinked, sidling up beside him and pressing her own hand on the stone surface.

She closed her eyes, concentrating and taking a slow breath. After a moment, she could feel the magic pulsating inside. The more she reached out, the more she realized that the magic was laced all throughout the crypt - a familiar sensation. Had this been a Traveler's grave? Or one of her ancestor's?

A breath left her lips, opening her eyes and staring at a crack along the stone. "Well I'll be damned," she whispered. Had her ancestors been guiding her to this place?

"See what I mean?" She looked at Kai and saw that boyish smirk on his unnecessarily handsome face. Bonnie didn't realize she had been smiling as well until she saw his gaze darken slightly. When he leaned in closer, Bonnie took a step back - her hand moving to rest on her chest to ease back her rapidly beating heart. "That's a good look for you, Bonster."

She quickly turned away from him, scoffing. "What look?"

"The look of a woman who knows what power is," he said. Bonnie heard shuffling behind her.

Kai's heat radiated off of him, tickling her neck and she felt hands resting on her shoulders. She was very hyper aware of him and had to close her eyes to ignore all the sensations tingling over the surface of her skin. His breath was warm on the back of her neck, even beneath her scarf. Her hands clenched into fists in response.

"And knows how to use it."

Bonnie quickly turned around, taking two full steps back in retreat. Her eyes were narrowed in warning and he held his hands up in surrender even though his smile remained.

Though Kai kept his distance, Bonnie could see the dark purpose and desire in his gaze. He wasn't bothering to hide it. Or had he been this obvious with it and she had just been ignoring it? Bonnie couldn't still her heart and she was thankful that he couldn't hear the loud drumming in her ears. She couldn't explain the magnetism between them, but after spending a month with him in that prison world, Bonnie knew that there was _something_ there. It had existed in the 1994 Prison World and had, somehow, carried itself over to this one.

But just a month ago she had been trying to kill him. She had _wanted to_ and that part of her, that darker nature that swirled and rushed through her blood almost frightened her. Magic sparked from her fingertips, her fingers flexing with the desire to throw him across the crypt - to remind him that she wasn't a witch to be trifled with.

And yet there was another part of her that yearned for something. Ached for the touch of another and from someone who could actually understand her. Truly understand her. Not the half-assed attempts that her friends had offered her. They were all vampires or some other type of supernatural creature who could not fathom what existed inside of her. Who couldn't being to empathize with her on a level that actually mattered to her.

But with Kai? It could be different... Maybe...

"Bon?"

Shaking herself out of her internal reverie, Bonnie pointed at him. "Don't get any ideas, Kai."

He tilted his head to the side. "Like what?"

She watched him take a step forward - a long one and Bonnie mirrored his movements, only a step in the opposite direction. "I'm not kidding around."

Kai closed the distance easily, forcing her to press her back along the stone wall of the crypt where the magic beat with life against her. He practically towered over her, shadowing her form as he rested his elbow and forearm just along the side of her head. He never took his eyes off of her and for a moment Bonnie thought she was going to drown in those gray-blue depths.

" _Like what_ , Bon?" He reiterated his question by leaning forward so that their faces were barely touching.

"Kai, please..." Heat rushed across her face, pulsing down her neck and chest and pushing her heart rate even further. Her hand reached out to press against his chest, to push him away from her. But Kai just leaned further in. "We don't have time for this."

"What's going to happen to us when we get back?" he asked suddenly, his other hand moving to run his fingers through her hair.

Another lump was forming in her throat, her eyes averting his. "There is no us, Kai."

"Not even friends? Come on, Bonnie. You've been with me everyday for over a month now." He paused, letting his fingers rest at the back of her head before they slowly trailed down to rest along the nape of her neck. "Are you saying you can't see the changes in me? After all this time?"

"I'm still afraid of you." Bonnie openly admitted it. She was still afraid of him and, what was more? She was afraid of these new sensations that Kai was causing to manifest inside of her. She lifted her gaze to his and saw his lips part slightly, as if he'd seen something in her eyes that she hadn't intended to show. "You still scare me, Kai."

"Bonnie." The way her name fell from her lips, his voice husky laced with a soft rasp, warmed her core and she was so thankful that there were so many layers of clothes separating them. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"But I might."

"I'd let you."

"Yeah right."

"I'm serious." His thumb slipped over her throat, his nail gently brushing along the underside of her chin. "If it meant easing your fears about me, I'd let you hurt me a thousand times over."

She could muster no words. His touch was like electric shocks and her veins felt like they were going to burst. All she could do was look into his eyes and see her own reflection cast in them. She was waiting for the lie to finally project itself. Because Kai Parker was a liar. He would never allow himself to get hurt for anyone. Because everyone had tried to hurt him in his life. Self-reliance and self-preservation were his motivators. He wouldn't be backed into a corner.

"I don't want you to be afraid of me anymore, Bonnie." Kai's hooded gaze made her breath hitch and she tried again to push him away in vain. It felt like the world was closing in around her.

"Kai..." Her voice sounded so weak. She felt almost powerless.

His lips were barely touching hers and all she could do was feel her legs growing slack beneath her. Kai's hand on her neck was steadying her, as was the wall. "Let me in, Bon."

"I can't," she almost whined, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Why not?"

"Because I-" There was a sudden ringing in her ears. Not from the heavy thudding of her heart, but the distinct element of wind chimes. Her brows lifted as her eyes darted in every direction but Kai's face. The chiming had been soft at first, but it was growing louder with each second.

He seemed to notice the change in her demeanor, could sense her magic roaring to life. His brows cinched but he didn't loosen his grip. He did, thankfully, lean back a margin to give her space to breathe. "What's wrong?"

She met his gaze, feeling the earlier tension bleeding out of her. There was a new problem occupying her thoughts now. "Someone's messing with my spell."

"What?" Kai leaned back completely, racing to the other side of the crypt and allowing Bonnie time to catch her breath and gather herself. She thought she was going to suffocate under all that pressure for sure.

"I think they found us. Or at least finally hit my spell."

She watched Kai as he pressed his hands along the wall once more, hovering by the entrance to the crypt. Suddenly, his hands glowed red and the magic in the crypt began to fade. Bonnie's stomach twisted up in knots, not liking the idea that Kai was sucking away the magic of one of her ancestors. However, when he turned to look at her, he motioned for her to come to him.

When she did, Kai immediately grabbed her wrists. "Kai, what in the world are you-"

"Bonnie, listen to me carefully." His expression was so serious, she couldn't even bring herself to interrupt him. This wasn't like Kai. But it was clear he'd come to some sort of decision. "When I tell you, I want you to lift the barrier spell."

"Are you crazy?!" she snapped, but his grip on her wrists tightened, silencing her. She couldn't shake how his eyes were boring into her so intensely. Bonnie felt like she couldn't breathe - like she was truly drowning in his gray-blue tones.

"Just listen!" He paused, taking a breath and closing his eyes, granting her a moment to breathe. "Listen and trust me, alright?"

She bit her lower lip, but she neither shook her head nor gave a nod. Something was wrong. She knew it. She could feel it, could sense it in his magic. It was thundering in his veins as he held her and Bonnie didn't know how stable she was to withstand whatever he was planning. The fact that he was giving her little choice but to comply angered her.

However, she didn't have time to press him. Because after a moment, Kai's magic began to seep into her skin and into her blood. Bonnie gasped sharply, watching his palms grow red and she thought he was about to siphon her magic from her. But instead of the familiar pain and burn that accompanied the siphoning, Bonnie felt herself growing stronger. Her eyes grew wide, unable to suppress the moan that curled in her throat - her magical reservoir was being refilled. Kai was giving her magic!

"W-What are you doing?" she stammered through the sensations running through her. "Kai! What are you doing?!"

Sweat tinged his brows as they furrowed, some of it dripping from his chin as he channeled the magic of her ancestors into her. Bonnie's fingers grasped onto his wrists, her nails digging into his in order to stop him. He was relinquishing control to her and it terrified her. Kai never gave up control. Never! To give her magic, an overwhelming amount... And when had he been keeping this much power inside of him? She hadn't sensed any of it!

 _With this much power, he could have gone back home already..._

The thought brought tears to her eyes despite the surge of magic flowing through her. Why hadn't he just taken her blood and left like he had before? What was he planning? What was he about to do?

The world shifted slightly and after a short grunt, Kai looked back into Bonnie's eyes and grinned. He was clearly uncomfortable with something; like he was in pain. Or was it something else? She couldn't tell.

"Okay Bonnie," he whispered, pulling her closer to him so that their noses were barely touching.

Her lips fell open and Kai seemed to take that moment to seal his lips over hers in a kiss that she was both prepared and unprepared for. Had she the ability to move her hands, she would have been raking them through his hair. Instead, Bonnie allowed him to pull her breath from her body as he tilted his head slightly to intensify the kiss. After a moment of feeding from each other, of tasting one another and the tingling of their magic on their tongues, he pulled back and she could see the slick shine of her saliva on his mouth.

For a few seconds, all she could do was stare at him as his pupils were blown wide leaving a faint line of blue against the blackness in the center. She took a moment to recover her breath, catching the quirk of his lip at the corner of his mouth.

" _Now_."

* * *

 _ **AN:** #SorryNotSorry I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Unlike with previous chapters, I will be picking up right into 1903 in the next chapter with Kai's perspective. Normally I switch out between Present Kai and then go into Bonnie/Kai POVs but I wanted to leave you guys hanging a bit longer. So here it is! Enjoy! I hope you guys liked it! Please continue to read and review! It really does mean the world to me you guys!_


	8. The End Where We Start

_~ 1903 Prison World ~_

Kai was screwed.

He was so royally fucking screwed.

Somewhere along the way, he had sensed that there was dark magic inside of Bonnie. Something that had been almost lost through the histories of their kind, of witches. Something that was taboo and a thing that was unspoken among their people. But as a Gemini Witch, Kai had read about it long ago - when he had first become obsessed with The Merge. Because that ritual was dark magic at its core. He had felt it when he'd merged with his brother - had sensed it and could feel it sing through his veins in a violent storm just before he and Luke had collapsed.

The power was exquisite. He could have gotten drunk off of it.

And that power existed in Bonnie. It was like a well blocked off; a dormant volcano but still very active. It was threatening to burst from its stopper - the metaphorical cork that Bonnie had stuffed down inside of herself.

He'd sensed it the first time he'd siphoned from her. But he hadn't realized that it was dark power; darker magic than he'd ever felt before. Prior to The Merge, he had just assumed that Bonnie had tapped into something he hadn't been exposed to. Some new, profound source of power that came in the later generations of witches that he hadn't been able to see yet since he'd been trapped in the 1994 Prison World.

After The Merge, he had sensed it. It was the same energy that had coursed through him during the ritual, when he felt the darkness slithering through his veins and when his vision went white. The absolute chaos and power that flowed inside of him was almost intoxicating. But he'd remembered it then. That power. That sensation that always sat at the back of his mind.

Until now.

Bonnie was holding her breath, though she didn't really need to and he had to hold back a laugh. They managed to slip out the crypt just when she'd lowered her barrier and Kai had cloaked them as they'd scurried away. The Heretics wasted no time entering the stone structure. Kai waited a few seconds before he flicked his wrist and slammed the door to the crypt shut. Inside was an illusion of himself that would keep them entertained for about sixty seconds before they realized what was actually going on.

Their window of opportunity was less than that.

"Come on," he urged, pulling her from the cover of the trees and bee lining back to the Salvatore Mansion.

"Kai, we're never going to make it," Bonnie said as she pulled her hand from his. He hadn't even realized he was still holding it, but it didn't slow his pace any. They were tearing through the snow, pounding their feet into the ground as they tried to keep their steps regular.

"We're not going back to the Salvatore house."

"Where are we going?"

"The cave." Kai looked up as the sky as he ran, dodging trees and jumping over a few fallen branches. The Northern Lights were dancing across the blanket of darkness above them through the canopy of trees.

He knew this route like the back of his hand so he kept his eyes to the ground in case another animal trap tried to get the best of him. Swerving off to the right, he heard Bonnie grunt at the sudden change of direction as her boots scuffled across the snow. Kai was just a few steps ahead of her, but was impressed she was keeping up with him. Her breathing didn't even sound labored which was good.

Pounding the ground like their life depended on it, they left a trail of escape behind them. Soon they would be out of that place. Soon they'd be back home. But they just needed to keep this pace up and they'd be fine. Kai focused on Bonnie's breathing as he was sure the Bennett witch was zeroing in on whether they were being tailed. She trusted him to guide them just as he trusted her to watch his back.

It was such a strange sensation, being able to trust someone. He'd never done it prior to this moment - the moments he shared with Bonnie. He'd always had to rely on himself because it was always just himself. Even his twin, Jo, had betrayed him in the end - partially responsible for having imprisoned him. While he had made his peace with that, wished her a happy life after she turned her magic over to him so he could abate his sickness, there was always that dark pit that existed in the shadowy corner of his heart that beat strong. Even Bonnie had betrayed him, but not without provocation. After all, he'd done it to her first.

Eye for an eye, as they say.

Bonnie suddenly screamed, causing Kai to skid to a halt and he whirled his body around in time to see her being lifted in the air by her throat. He didn't waste a second, lunging forward and slamming his shoulder into the chest of the male Heretic that was attempting to choke Bonnie. She dropped to her knees and Kai grabbed her by the crook of her arm, his eyes never leaving her attacker and the two women who blurred into existence.

Kai thrust his hand out as he watched them move to dash toward them. " _Motus!_ "

They flew backwards, snow spraying around them as they smashed into the ground. Two more approached and Kai was about to blast another spell forward, but Bonnie was already moving. Once she'd gotten to her feet, he saw her glaring hotly at the Heretics out of the corner of his eye - throwing her hand forward as her fingers curled upward toward the sky. " _Phasmatos Incendia!"_

A wall of fire exploded in front of them, blocking off the Heretics as the heat melted the snow around them and revealed the dying grass and leaves beneath their feet. Kai grabbed Bonnie's hand and they both took off in a dead run, their heart rates elevated at having finally come face to face with their source of dread. But he knew he had to focus, concentrating on their destination. They were getting the hell out of there!

"Almost there, Bonster," he said, chancing a glance over his shoulder and getting only momentarily distracted by her determined expression. Kai couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head. "God, you're so damn pretty." He turned his attention back to the front.

He heard her scoff just as they both hopped over a fallen log. "Really, Kai? Really?!"

"Can't help it," he said in a sing-song voice, mimicking her way of intermingling her sarcasm with her irritation.

But he wasn't irritated. He was elated. An inexplicable feeling of joy was washing over him, escalating as he caught sight of the cave's entrance through the woods. A wave of relief washed over Kai as his smile broke out even wider across his face.

Skidding to a halt at the entrance, he turned around to stop Bonnie from barreling into him. Gripping onto her shoulders, he waited for her to catch her breath. "You ready?" She gave a swift nod, already moving to situate herself on the ground. Her legs hung over the edge and she held her hands up over her head where Kai could grab her wrists. Her fingers laced around his as he braced his heels into the ground, waiting for her to scoot off the edge until she dangled down into the cave.

Slowly, Kai lowered himself down so that he could give Bonnie enough distance so that she could drop down into the cave without hurting herself. "Okay, I'm good!" she shouted up to him and Kai took a moment to tighten his grip on her wrists as she released his before dropping her down.

"Prep the spell!" he called down as he slid to the edge.

"I _know_ , jackass!"

Kai smirked, shaking his head. She could insult him all day like that. He wouldn't mind. He'd been called worse. Pushing himself off the edge, he landed with a hard _thud_ as the light show danced overhead. Dusting off the backs of his jeans, Kai watched Bonnie already dripping blood onto the Ascendant.

Without even having to be asked, Kai was already placing his hands under hers - fingers curling around her wrists as the wind began to pick up around them. He wasn't worried about her magic. He had given her the full dose of magic from the crypt. She'd be fine.

"Ready to go, Bon?"

She rolled her eyes as he took a step closer. "I've _been ready_ ," she snipped and he couldn't help stepping closer to her, watching the small wrinkle appear just at the bridge of her nose. Kai resisted the urge to poke at it.

Just as Bonnie opened her mouth to recite the spell, Kai pulled her close and captured her lips - the world a swirl of colors cascading down over their forms. She gasped softly, attempting to pull herself back but Kai held fast so that she was unable to break free. After a few seconds, he felt her free hand snaking into his hair and their bodies were closer than they had been just seconds before. Kai hummed in appreciation, smiling against her lips before breaking the kiss with a quiet noise. A soft cloud formed between them with each breath, the wind picking up around their bodies and causing the dry leaves to dance and swirl around them.

His eyes lingered on her lips, shining from the wetness he'd left behind from his tongue. Bonnie panted softly, green eyes lifting to meet his and Kai felt his heart almost stop at the sight of her. She wasn't just pretty. Bonnie was fucking beautiful.

"Let's go home."

Bonnie nodded, her head lifting to look up at the sky. "Yeah..." Closing her eyes, Bonnie began the spell - a blinding cone of white light enveloping them both.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Mystic Falls Cemetery ~_

It was hot.

Too hot.

Bonnie felt like she could hardly breathe and she started pulling at the scarf around her neck, coughing in response. She was still cloaked in darkness, her eyes refusing to open and see whatever reality that she would awaken to. She knew that if she saw snow, she'd lose her mind. She'd start tearing her own hair out because she knew that, somehow, she had damned herself by going back to retrieve Kai Parker in a moment of guilt to absolve herself of having abandoned him without knowing all the answers. If the air was cold and she could see her breath, Bonnie felt like she would just give up on existing.

Because she'd rather die than be trapped in another prison world for even one more day.

Her arm slowly pulled forward, tugging the scarf off her neck while rolling onto her stomach. Dirt filled her nostrils, causing her to tailspin into a horrible coughing fit as she lifted herself up onto her hands and knees. Blinking, her vision slowly focused as a gust of wind brushed up against her face and blew her hair back. It took a moment, but the sight of tombstones and trees soon came into focus and her breath hitched slightly. Her lips parted and she almost cried, her eyes darting to the ground where green grass and fresh dirt laced between her fingers.

She knew this place. Knew it so well it almost hurt. Mystic Falls Cemetery.

"W-We're back," she stammered, slowly rising on shaky legs. "We're home!"

A new thought sprung up in her mind and she quickly whirled around, searching the immediate area and seeing that she was alone. Panic gripped at Bonnie's heart. Had Kai not come back with her? But that was impossible. They had been holding onto each other when she had activated the Ascendant. They had been together when the magical light swallowed them up!

So why wasn't he there?

"Kai?" Her voice was soft, almost lost in the next breeze that pushed against her body.

Already her legs were carrying her, moving past the graves as her eyes searched in every direction - spinning around and walking backwards before turning again to plow through the grounds. She paused in the center, her head moving from side to side and then up - like she expected Kai to be sitting perched in one of the many trees in the cemetery. Bonnie could feel the fear swelling up in her chest, making it almost too difficult to breathe. But she dared not take another step.

"Kai!" she called, her voice half broken. "Kai Parker, you better not be fooling around! You hear me, you asshole?!"

"Loud and clear."

Bonnie gasped, pivoting on her heels and seeing Kai coming around a bend of trees. She saw him regarding her quietly, that damned smirk prevalent on his face and it made her want to hit and scream and swear at him. But all she could do was stand in stunned silence as he approached her, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Bonnie remained rooted to the ground, unable to move as Kai closed the distance between them with easy strides. Her head tilted back to look up at him as he towered over her, his head tilting slightly to the side.

"You're so mean, Bonnie." His smirk widened, intensifying his hooded gaze. "And after _all_ we've been through."

Tears sprung up in Bonnie's eyes and she sucked in her lips, glaring at him. But he continued to stand there, smirking at her like he was hot shit. God, it infuriated her!

To further emphasize her point, Bonnie punched him in the gut so hard that he doubled over, coughing slightly from the blow. Then, for added measure, she aimed a kick straight to his shin, causing him to collapse to one knee. She was about to knee him in the face when he reached up and grabbed her leg, jerking her down onto the grass with him. Even though she struggled against him, Kai was already on top of her - his hands on either side of her head as he loomed over her form.

He was still smiling and she wanted to scratch his eyes out. How could he make her feel this way? How could he twist up her insides like this, making her worry for him as she did? She would blame her guilt for this. Her regret for having left him behind the first time. She had to focus hard on her anger, but as he continued to look down at her with that light in his eyes, Bonnie wasn't sure how much longer she could hold onto her outrage.

"Still mad?" he asked softly, his voice deep and striking at her core.

Bonnie swallowed thickly, keeping her gaze locked onto his. "Furious."

Supporting his weight on one hand, he used the other to brush away some of the stray hairs from off her forehead. Her brows creased in response, but were smoothed out as he ran two fingers along her brow bones. "Don't be."

They stayed like that for a few more minutes. Neither of them said anything. Bonnie continued to look at him as he, in turn, looked back at her. Her hardened expression was reflected in his eyes, but neither uttered a word. They both just breathed, drinking in each other's presence.

She lifted up a hand to push Kai back, sitting up so she could have a moment away from his intense gaze. It was almost futile at this point, trying to calm her raging heartbeat, but try she did. Kai merely sat back on his haunches, forearms resting on his knees as he waited for Bonnie to decide what she was going to do next. After a moment, she was able to collect herself and turned to cut her eyes back to Kai.

"Where were you?" He smiled and she cuffed his shoulder, causing him to rock back on his heels just a fraction. "I woke up and you were nowhere to be found."

He pointed over her shoulder and she turned her head to see the broken vase of flowers strewn across a nearby headstone. "Looks like your witchy woo still isn't back to full strength," he said easily as she faced him again. Kai chuckled, brows raised while waggling his fingers at her - his silver rings glinting in the sunlight. "Bit of a rough landing there, Bonster."

"Are you hurt?"

The question was so sudden, it caught her off guard. Judging by the look on Kai's face, it caught him off guard as well. His eyes widened slightly, unable to hide the surprise on his face. But lips that were parted soon formed into that smile she had gotten so used to associating with him now.

He shook his head and laughed a little. "I'm fine, Bon."

She watched him stand up, his hand going out to her. Bonnie studied it for a moment before reaching out and clasping his hand and he pulled her up easily. However, instead of letting her go, he held fast to her - drawing her even closer to him. Bonnie leaned back, trying to put some space between them but Kai seemed to have other ideas. While one hand was still holding hers, his other arm slipped easily around her waist and Bonnie pressed a hand to his chest so that she wasn't forced to get closer than she was comfortable with.

"Kai? What do you think you're doing?"

He leaned in closer and Bonnie blinked. "You know, I really do like the feel of your hand on my chest."

"Stop," she murmured, turning her head away from him.

" _Come on_ , Bonnie," he half whined, causing her to smirk involuntarily. "Stop trying to push me away."

"Pushing you away is the only way I can guarantee my survival."

His hand released hers, still holding fast to her waist as the other snaked over her shoulder. His thumb stroked at her throat, gliding over her chin and he gently moved it so that she was forced to face him. Bonnie's eyes stayed downcast, however, because she wasn't sure how strong her resolve would be if she looked back into his eyes.

"I meant what I said, Bon," he whispered. She could feel his breath along her face - warm and tingling. Bonnie bit her lower lip to further keep herself from looking at him. She just stared at the necklace chain that was hidden under his shirt. "I'm not going to hurt you. And I don't want you to be afraid of me anymore."

She scoffed. "Easy for you to say."

"I mean it, Bonnie. Every word." Her eyes lifted to meet his, seeing the sincerity there in Kai's eyes that she was not prepared for. She believed him. She had no choice to. "Just give me a chance and let me in."

"Look Kai, it's not up to me to-"

"Of course it is! Who else decides that I get another chance except for you?"

Bonnie's lips parted, surprised by the immediacy of his response. "Your fam-"

"Jo and I are square," he said, his expression serious and it caused her heart to leap into her throat. "Liv and I? Well, we just have a bridge that needs to be built and then we'll get over it. Luke knew what he was getting into and he's with me forever. As for my father..." His voice trailed off, forcing Bonnie back to reality.

She recalled the look on his face when he spoke about his father and his cruelty, the nature of how he ran the Gemini coven. While it set her teeth on edge, Bonnie couldn't help but fear that Kai was still seeking out a way to destroy his father for everything he'd made him suffer through. Bonnie waited for him to say something but she saw Kai's worry lines form once more before he shook his head.

"Well, it doesn't matter what the old man thinks. I'm the leader of the Gemini Coven - a fact that he really doesn't have any say in and he has no choice but to accept. Once my coronation is official, he'll have no choice but to stay out of my way. Because my survival is ultimately _his_ survival."

"So you're not going to kill him? Even after everything that he did?" Bonnie was having a hard time believing this.

"No," he said easily, alleviating some of the pangs in her chest. "Like I said, Bonnie, I've changed. It's going to be a slow process. There's a lot of the old me that's still there, lingering around and could come back at full force at any moment. Hell, if you hadn't come back for me, there's a good chance I would have become something _worse_ than the guy you met back in 1994."

The very thought of him being worse than he was in 1994 sent a cold chill down her back. Bonnie tried to pull away from him again but, again, Kai refused to let her out of the space he'd encompassed her in.

"But you _did_ come back, Bon. You came back for me, despite your better judgment I'm sure. You were giving me another chance whether you realized it or not."

Bonnie's brows rose slightly in disbelief. Was that true? Had she unknowingly given him another chance? Had she already started letting him in? A part of her already knew the answer, but her stubborn side refused to acknowledge it. She couldn't. Because she still was scared of what Kai was doing to her. She would have felt more at ease hating him for the rest of her life. Or was that, too, just a form of denial?

"All I'm asking for is some time, okay? Just a little bit of your time, Bonnie."

Her eyes looked into his, attempting to see a lie or any kind of distrust that could linger there. But he had lowered his shields down just a margin. For her. No one else but her. Bonnie felt something tugging at her heart and she swallowed against his thumb. After a few minutes of silence, she gave a swift nod and the boyish grin of his returned to his face. Was that really all that it needed to take? Just an agreement from her?

Finally, his grip on her relaxed and she was able to take a step away from him. Catching her breath, Bonnie still felt his hand in hers and was surprised to feel him giving her a reassuring squeeze with his fingers. She looked down at their hands and was surprised to see that he didn't have gloves on. She had constantly been worried he would just siphon magic from her on a whim like he often did in the past. But this Kai, this new Kai that she was still trying to wrap her head around even after a month, seemed more genuine and real. Would even try to understand her on certain levels and had shown an incredible amount of patience with her emotional outbursts back in the prison world.

The old Kai would never have been that patient. It would have been him that would have fallen apart in rage at being denied anything - at being threatened and having his life toyed around with.

Bonnie pulled her hand free from his, slipping it into her pocket and relieved to find that the 1903 Ascendant was safely tucked away in her coat. Eventually she'd have to turn it back over to Kai. It was Gemini property, after all. But if he wasn't asking for it, then she had no real reason to give it back to him. Not yet.

"Just know that I'm watching you, Parker. You got that?" She tried to sound tough, brushing her fingers through her hair as she narrowed her eyes at him.

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, his grin ever-present. "I'm counting on it, Bonster."

She rolled her eyes and turned away from him, taking a step to head toward the entrance of the cemetery. All she wanted to do was go home and have a hot shower, fall into her bed and sleep for a week. "Come on, let's go."

Bonnie only managed two steps forward until she heard a sound coming from Kai that was akin to choking. Slowly, she turned around. Kai's face was contorted with pain before it relaxed into an expression she'd seen once before. Back when she'd thrown a pickax into his chest after she'd determined that he didn't know the spell to get them out of 1994. It was the first time she'd actually killed someone. It still sent a flash of horror through her.

"Kai?"

Her sight-line moved down slightly, noting the crimson stain blossoming across the front of his shirt. Bonnie gasped sharply as Kai collapsed to his knees and then fell face-first into the grass. Standing in his place was Damon, his arm coated just above the elbow in Kai's blood. The spidery veins wriggled under his eyes, a deep red and black glow in his hues as he flashed his vampiric grin at her.

Bonnie said nothing. She just watched as Kai's blood pooled across the grass, seeping into the dirt as his body convulsed. She watched in horror as his blue eyes clouded over - death slowly overtaking him. Tears slid down her cheeks as she took one step toward him, her hand outstretched to his dying body.

"KAI!"

* * *

 _ **AN:** Again, #SorryNotSorry - Okay, but seriously, I thought this was a great place to end the chapter. AND WE'RE FINALLY OUT OF 1903 YAY! But now we have 2013 problems to contend with. Gonna switch it back up with some snippets of Present Day Kai before flashing back to the past. Getting into the swing of things. Again, you guys are amazing! Also, **mysticfalls-originals**_ _updated her story, "Safe Haven" and if you haven't read it, I suggest you read "Nightmares" because it's amazing and the first story before "Safe Haven". I legit cried when I saw she updated. But yes, please read and review! I enjoy all the positive feedback! Love you guys!_


	9. Something's Got To Give

Kai had showered and changed, lingering near Bonnie as she continued to lay on their bed looking every bit asleep as if she were still alive. He had pulled up a chair by the bedside table, holding her hand when Lydia had decided to cease her vigil over her mother. She had to make a few phone calls - mostly friends and family of Bonnie's that were still alive. He knew that he probably needed to do the same, considering that he had a lot of preparation to do for the Wake and then the funeral services. Everything was taken care of years prior - even the plot of land that Bonnie was wanting to be buried in.

Back in Mystic Falls.

He sighed heavily, pressing his lips to Bonnie's cold knuckles as he stroked his thumb along her wrist. Even as an old woman, Bonnie still looked breathtaking. Some would say that it was because he was so stupid in love with her. They'd be right. He had no shame to show just how much he had grown to care and love that stubborn witch of his; that woman who was so full of compassion and pride that the sun paled in comparison to the light she could bring to his world.

Most had gotten burned getting too close to Bonnie - because it was her way of protecting herself. Hell, Kai had almost become Icarus in his pursuit of Bonnie. And while it had taken some time for her to finally open her heart to him, it had been worth it. Every single second, every single moment. Kai wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world.

"Daddy?"

Kai looked up to see Lonnie in the doorway, peeking her head in to make sure that she wasn't disturbing him. He set Bonnie's hand back on the bed and stood up from the chair, motioning for her to go back out into the hallway and she did. He closed the door softly behind her with a soft _click_ and he wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder. Lonnie snaked her arm around Kai's waist as they made their way down the hallway and then descended the stairs.

Downstairs Kai could hear Lydia on the phone, apparently raising hell at the tone of her voice that was slightly muffled on the other side of the glass. He couldn't help but wonder who she was on the phone with that was kicking his eldest daughter's meter into overdrive. He didn't even feel bad, not really.

They made their way outside onto the front porch and Lonnie immediately took a seat on the swinging bench. Kai took a moment to close his eyes and enjoy the smell of the rain on the grass, the storm still waging mercilessly across the skies. Kai almost wanted to believe that the storm was a reflection of his own heart, or the way nature was responding to Bonnie's passing. It brought him a semblance of comfort, no matter how minuscule it may have been.

"Would it be weird if I said you looked hot, Dad?"

Kai turned to look at his daughter as she sat cross-legged on the bench, swinging back and forth with her head tilted slightly in wonder. He blinked at her several times before falling into a tiny fit of laughter. He crossed the porch and sat down next to her, her head moving to look at him through her green and blue eyes. She flushed slightly, tinting her lightly caramel skin in a way that was adorable.

"Flattering? Yes. Weird? Also yes." He reached out to tuck some stray bits of her hair behind her ear. She giggled, leaning back as he'd brushed against one of her "tickle zones" as she had so referenced them. "You think your old man looks hot?"

Lonnie smiled brightly, wrinkling her nose in the same way that was very iconic to Bonnie when she was her age. "As much as I don't want to admit it, yeah, you do." She laughed, shaking her head. "No wonder Mom fell for you."

He chuckled, the vibrations rumbling in his chest. "As much I would like to attribute your mother's affections for me stemming from my good looks, I'm going to have to disagree, Lon." His smile was gentle, eyes growing distant as he recalled a far off memory. One that creased his brows. "When I looked like this, your mom actually hated my guts."

"Seriously?!"

"Yup."

His daughter gave a soft hum, looking up at the porch ceiling in thought. "Now that I think about it, yeah, I remember Mom saying that once."

Kai scoffed disbelievingly. "Your mom admitted to hating me once upon a time?"

Lonnie laughed, rotating her head just to look at him. "Mmhm! I was in Junior High and I think you grounded me for something..."

"Because I caught you kissing that boy, Kenneth Andrews, under the bleachers at your soccer game."

"Yeah, that."

"And because you failed your Algebra test."

"And that."

" _And_ you set my computer on fire."

Lonnie laughed again, brows raising in surprise at him. "Yes, _all_ of that." Kai laughed with her. After her giggling subsided, she uncrossed her legs and let the heels of her sneakers hit the porch deck. "I was so mad at you. I told Mom I hated you for it and she said that I wouldn't be the first woman in your life to hate you."

"Oh really?" Well that was interesting. He smirked. "Go on."

"Then she told me that she hated you once. That you both were enemies, or at least to her you were her enemy. Said you were a big bully to her."

Kai rolled his eyes, his smile stretching further. "Oh come on," he mused. "She _would_ say something like that."

"I couldn't believe it, y'know? Because of how goo-goo you both are over each other. Which, by the way, I can say this now that I'm an adult but that shit was too much to see sometimes." Kai laughed outright and she smiled, lightly pushing his shoulder. "I'm serious. You and Mom were gross."

"Hey," he interjected, holding a hand up. "I'll have you know that our grossness is what brought you and your other siblings into the world."

"Oh my God!" Lonnie cried, closing her eyes and covering her ears while laughing. " _So_ gross!"

He reached out, pulling his daughter into his arms and tickling her sides. She wiggled and kicked, causing the bench's chains to rattle in lieu of their rough play. It was only when he saw tears leaking from her eyes did Kai cease and desist his tickle assault. Lonnie took a moment to catch her breath, wiping at her eyes the same way Bonnie often did after he'd administered his form of tickle torture.

Even though Lydia looked the most like Bonnie, it was Lonnie who had inherited a lot of Bonnie's mannerisms. Even Kai's. Sometimes she shocked him with some of the things that came flying out of her mouth.

Then again, Lonnie had been a miracle baby.

Twenty-seven years ago, he and Bonnie had conceived and brought Lonnie Elizabeth Bennett-Parker into the world. Because she was a siphoner, the pregnancy had been complicated. Coupled with Bonnie's age, the entire ordeal had been a bit of a scare for Kai. They never told Lonnie how Bonnie had almost died giving birth to her. It was hard enough dealing with being a siphoner and having almost killed her brother, Max. She didn't need any more undue stress in her life, as liberally as she lived it.

"Say Dad?"

"Yeah baby?"

Lonnie's brows furrowed, as if she were fighting with something. Kai was patient, waiting for her to collect her thoughts and to figure out what she wanted to say. "What's going to happen now?"

He canted his head to the side slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she said, biting her lower lip and then meeting his gaze. "Look at you. You're younger than I am and, well, Mom's dead and...I mean, what are we going to tell people?" She paused and Kai waited, knowing that there was more. "Do I tell people you're my cousin? My younger brother? What do I even say?"

Kai grinned, pulling Lonnie close so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. "Good thing you're finished with college and are well on your way to being a full-fledged career woman, huh?" He curled his fingers around he shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Can you imagine introducing me to all your professors when I look like this?"

She groaned, covering her face with her hand. "Jesus," she mumbled.

"Or that boyfriend of yours? Caleb was it?"

"This is a nightmare."

"I know, the worst, right?"

"The _worst._ " He could hear the smile in her words. She sat up, looking at him both curiously and with concern. "...what are you going to do?"

Kai sighed and encircled his arms around Lonnie's shoulder, bringing her into his chest for a hug. He took comfort in feeling her heartbeat against his body, his hand cradling the back of her head. "I don't know, baby," he murmured into her hair. "But I'll figure it out."

 _I always do._

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Mystic Falls Cemetery ~_

He was dead.

 _Kai_ was dead.

And Damon had killed him.

"Bon-Bon?"

Bonnie cut her eyes angrily at Damon through her tears. Before he could get even one more word out, she thrust her arm forward and sent Damon flying several feet into the air and smashing into a nearby tree. He landed on the ground hard, coughing up a small bit of blood just as Bonnie rushed over to Kai's side. She began to shake him, barely able to keep herself together at seeing all the blood. Blood that was now staining the knees of her jeans.

"Bonnie! What the hell?!"

She ignored Damon, relentless in her shaking of Kai in order to rouse him. But she knew it was too late. The light in his eyes had already dimmed. He was gone. After all of that, after everything they'd been through, Kai Parker was dead.

The shuffling of grass brought Bonnie back from her moment of grief, her anger reignited as she lifted her gaze to see Damon storming toward her. Again, her hand went up - fingers curled menacingly as she felt her body trembling. " _Ossox!_ "

A loud _crack_ resounded, watching Damon's leg twist inward and he screamed before falling to one knee. He looked at her, confusion and betrayal displayed clearly on his face. But her rage would not allow herself to feel bad for her actions. He may have been her friend, but she had just risked her life to bring the very person he'd killed back to the real world. The person she had decided to give a second chance - same as Damon had gotten from her.

"B-Bonnie," Damon stammered, visibly shaken by her fury. "W-Wai-"

" _Motus!_ " she yelled, throwing him back into another tree. Only this time she curled one of the branches of the tree toward him, watching him being impaled on it. He cried out, his voice tearing through the entire graveyard and lingering in the air.

Damon gripped at the branch, his attempts at trying to free himself in vain as Bonnie's magic held him in place - preventing him from breaking loose. He coughed up more blood, unable to turn his pale blue eyes from hers. The wind picked up almost immediately, leaves dancing violently around them as her hair flew wildly around her face.

"Christ, Bonnie!" Bonnie's eyes narrowed further as Damon continued to struggle fruitlessly against her magic.

Her hands remained on Kai's back, fingers digging into the fabric of his coat. "You had no right," she said through clenched teeth. "You had no right to kill him!"

"Why are you defending that psycho?! _He_ is a monster, Bon!"

"Says the guy who has killed more people than he _ever_ has!"

"He murdered his family!"

"And you killed a pregnant woman out of spite just to piss off your brother! To _punish_ him!" snapped Bonnie, angrily wiping at her face to rid it of the tears. "And let's not forget the dozens of other innocent people you've murdered or terrorized when they were no longer useful to you! Myself included!"

Damon scoffed but he couldn't hide the hurt in his eyes. "I've changed Bonnie!"

"So has he!"

The older Salvatore brother looked at her, stunned by her words. Bonnie's rage ebbed a fraction as she, too, was surprised by her declaration. She had echoed Kai's words from when she'd first tried to kill him.

Had Kai truly changed? Yes. She could admit that now. From what she'd witnessed for herself in the 1903 Prison World, Kai had, in fact, changed. Maybe not to the degree that others would accept. Hell, maybe not even up to her standards. But everyone had to start somewhere. And no one was born evil in the world. Some monsters were made.

After all, hadn't Bonnie agreed to give him another chance? That she'd be keeping an eye on him to make sure that he didn't screw it up? That she was going to make sure that if he did, he'd regret it?

Suddenly Kai's body twitched, causing Bonnie to jump slightly as her hands lifted off his body. She watched his back rise and fall slowly, followed soon with several rough coughs. He was alive! But...how was that possible?!

Kai slowly lifted himself up on his elbows, flipping his body around so that he could land on his back. His coughing fit continued and it took Bonnie a minute to collect her scattered thoughts long enough to help him sit up. His hand went to his stomach as he attempted to catch his breath. Kai opened one eye, glaring up at Damon who was staring down at him - open-mouthed at witnessing his victim coming back from the dead.

"How are you alive, you crazy man child?!"

Bonnie watched a dark smirk cross Kai's features, stilling her heart momentarily. "Wouldn't you like to know, you old geezer."

"Are you okay?" she asked, pressing her hand along his chest and ribs to make sure that there wasn't anything else damaged.

His hand covered over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze and her gaze rose to meet his. "I'm fine," he said softly, his eyes cutting back to Damon.

His eyes darkened and Bonnie could sense his mounting anger. She couldn't blame him for it. Her rage was palpable at best, but she kept Kai from moving too much in case there were any internal injuries that hadn't managed to heal yet.

Struggling against his bindings, Damon snapped the branch and shoved himself off the tree - landing onto his knees. Bonnie helped Kai to his feet and he leaned against her slightly, presumably not wanting to put all of his weight on her but she held fast just in case. They both watched as Damon stood up, holding his stomach to keep the blood from spilling out as his vampiric healing began to take effect.

"Don't tell me you're on his side now, Bon-Bon..."

Bonnie scoffed. It was the only response he'd get from her. The fact that he was even asking that at all pissed her off.

Damon growled, taking a step forward. "Answer me! Bonnie Benne-AH!"

Her eyes narrowed, watching his face screw up in pain as he began pressing his fingers against his temples while she induced sheer agony into his mind; bursting blood vessels one by one until the vein at his neck began to bulge with life.

"Keep my government out of your mouth," snarled Bonnie.

She caught Kai looking at her from her peripheral but her eyes stayed locked onto Damon's straining sapphires. "Don't waste your energy on him, Bonnie."

She lifted her head up to his, noting the color coming back to his face. "Kai?"

He turned to look at Damon who had now collapsed to his knees. "Your magic's still recovering." Kai pulled away from her to stand at his full height. "I got this."

And then she saw it: that dark smirk that used to send fear soaring up her spine. Kai stretched his hand out, the rings shining in the sunlight. And then with a swift twist, an earsplitting _crack_ followed just as Bonnie looked to see Damon's head spin roughly in one direction. Kai had snapped his neck.

Damon collapsed into a heap on the grass. Bonnie could only look at the Salvatore brother she had considered a friend. She still did. But his impulsive actions had nearly cost Kai his life _and_ the lives of the Gemini. Which meant that Jo and Liv...they would have died without a second thought.

The very idea of it had Bonnie wringing her hands together, recalling a conversation that she and Kai had in the prison world. About his connection to the rest of the Gemini Coven as its leader. A magical binding of sorts that was linked to The Merge ritual. Their lives, literally, depended on him.

Had Kai not chosen to disappear just before she'd plunged the knife into him, Bonnie would have been solely responsible for killing dozens of innocent people. Maybe more. The prospect of it shook her violently to the core.

"Hey, you okay?" She hadn't realized Kai's hands were back on her shoulders, giving her a gentle shake to bring her back to reality.

Bonnie almost laughed, seeing the dried blood on his chin and lips and the awful bloodstain across his shirt. If anyone else happened upon them, they'd think he was one foot into the grave already. How ironic, seeing as how they were standing in the middle of a cemetery.

"I'm fine." She brushed his hands off her shoulders, moving to Damon's unconscious body. He'd be up in about ten minutes, give or take. Kneeling down at his side, Bonnie flicked Damon's forehead in frustration.

Soft vibrations were heard coming from Damon's jacket pocket. Bonnie fished inside and pulled out his cell phone, frowning at the name that flashed across the screen. She slid her thumb across the surface to answer, lifting the phone to her ear.

 _"Damon? Where are you? You said you'd be back by now."_

"Come get your boyfriend," Bonnie said, shocked at how indifferent her words came out.

There was a moment of silence before she heard a sob on the other line.

 _"B-Bonnie? Bonnie is that you?! Is Damon with you? When did you get back?"_

"Yes. Yes. And just now."

 _"And Kai? Is he with you?"_

She looked up as Kai approached, looking down at her with a mix of curiosity and concern. She shook her head when he raised his brows. "Elena, just come get your boyfriend. He's at the cemetery."

 _"...and you? Where will you be?"_

"Home. And don't come over," she said quickly before Elena could say another word. "I want to be alone."

 _"Bonnie..."_

"I mean it, Elena. _Leave me alone_." Bonnie sighed, unable to ignore the broken sob coming from Elena on the other line. "Just...I need to think and process some things, okay? We'll talk later, I promise. Now come get Damon. Bye."

Bonnie stood up on shaky legs, stumbling forward but Kai caught her by the waist to steady her. She murmured her thanks, feeling the phone vibrating in her hands again. She didn't bother looking at the screen and placed it to her ear in annoyance. "I told you we'd talk later!"

 _"Bonnie?"_

It was Alaric.

 _"What are you doing with Damon's phone?"_

"Long story."

There was a pregnant pause before he continued.

 _"Where's Damon?"_

"Taking a nap. What's up?"

She heard Alaric groaning and she couldn't help but smile. Bonnie could already visualize him wiping his hand across his face. Good old Alaric...

 _"Do you know if something happened to Kai?"_

"How did you know?"

 _"Well Jo just collapsed all of a sudden in the kitchen. Her heart even stopped beating for a few seconds before she came back."_

She gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth. "God, is she alright?"

 _"She's fine, just a little shaken up."_ Bonnie waited for him to continue. _"Is he there with you?"_

Bonnie looked at Kai who tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy. "Yeah, he is."

 _"Can you put him on?"_

She hesitated before nodding, holding the phone out to Kai. "It's Alaric. Said he wants to talk to you."

Kai shrugged, taking the phone from her and pressing it to his face. Damon groaned softly and she watched Kai flick his wrist, another crack following the motion as he snapped Damon's neck again. Bonnie grimaced as she watched her friend's body flop like a rag doll for a second before going stationary.

"Yes Future Brother-In-Law? What can I do for you?"

 _"Jo said she wants to see you. Do a check-up and make sure you're really okay."_

He brushed his fingers through his hair. "Didn't we agree not to see each other anymore?"

 _"Well, that changed when she practically dropped dead on the floor this morning."_

"Aww, well tell Sissy I appreciate it but I'm fine."

 _"Kai, I'm serious. Get your ass here. Olivia is on her way."_

Bonnie watched Kai's brow twitch, his smirk melting away into an annoyed expression. "The old man joining this shindig?"

 _"No. It's just your sisters. So hurry up."_

"I'm taking Bonnie home first. Then I'll be over."

 _"See you."_

"Yeah," was all Kai said before tossing the phone onto the ground by Damon's head.

Bonnie looked at him for a minute, watched him brush his knuckles along his chin to rid it of the blood before taking her hand in his. He flashed her a smile and she could only look on with wonder. Even as he squeezed her hand in comfort, Bonnie was battling a series of conflicting emotions inside of her. She couldn't shake Damon's accusation. Had she taken Kai's side? Or was it just the principle of the matter? How Damon had tried to rip the choice and chance for Kai to redeem himself not once, but twice now? Was it Damon's hypocrisy that was sending her anger into an upward spiral?

Or was it something else?

"Come on," Kai said, cutting into her thoughts. She blinked and looked up at him, her expression unreadable. Or at least she hoped so. "I'll take you home."

She tried to smile. Tried and failed. "Okay."

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Jo's Apartment ~_

After dropping Bonnie off, Kai had checked into a hotel and bought some fresh clothes. Showering off the blood and checking for any external injuries, he made sure that his magic was intact and was pleased to discover that he was practically at full power. Damn, it was good to be back in the real world. He was relieved to know that most of his belongings were still right where he'd left them before jumping to 1903 with the others - his car included.

That beautiful black Camaro with gun metal rims. He would have wept had anything happened to it. Like a damn baby; shamelessly.

Kai pulled up to the parking lot of Jo's complex, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. He wasn't comfortable leaving Bonnie alone. He was actually going to call off going to Jo's at all but Bonnie had insisted she was going to shower, change and go straight to bed. She'd told him that she was going to be fine. That she'd had enough of being in his presence to last her for the next six months and that had gotten him to laugh. Bonnie had laughed too.

It wasn't until he saw her smile that he felt okay enough to leave her at home alone. He knew she could take care of herself if Damon or any of the other vampires decided to come knocking on her door. After what they'd gone through with the Heretics back in 1903, and that was just a small taste, nothing probably could shake her down. Bonnie would flatten anyone before they could get through her front door.

He hadn't mentioned anything about it, but knew that Bonnie still had the 1903 Ascendant. Kai thought about taking it but decided against it. It would give him an excuse to seek her out later. As Gemini leader, the ascendants were in his charge. As one of the last remaining Bennett witches and her blood being the key to activate them, Kai knew he had to make sure that she was safe. Because as he later found out, Bennett and Parker witches? Well, they weren't just acquaintances. In fact, it seemed like their history spanned further back than even Bonnie realized. He knew there was history, but still...

Making his way upstairs, he reached Jo's apartment and knocked several times. Expecting to see Jo or Alaric, he was surprised to see Olivia's scowling face on the other side of the door. She opened her mouth to speak, her blue eyes sparkling with something dark and dangerous and Kai lifted up his finger, silencing her with just the gesture.

"Don't even think about it, Livviepoo," Kai said with a smile, but his eyes narrowed in warning. He then pointed to the ground and did a single twirling motion with his finger. "Consider this place holy ground. No fighting."

Olivia gave a disgusted look, rolling her eyes and opening the door for him to enter. He brushed past her, smirking as their eyes met just as Josette appeared from the bedroom wrapped in a bathrobe. He felt a sense of deja vu hitting him, remembering the last time he'd seen her in such a state he had been vomiting up blood in her umbrella bucket. She seemed to have been recalling the same memory at the same time and she rolled her eyes as Kai laughed easily.

"Coffee?" Jo asked, making her way to the kitchen while motioning for them to follow.

"Sounds great," Kai said as he sat the kitchen table. Olivia perched herself at the doorway, resting her shoulder along the frame. He waved to his baby sister. "Come sit, Liv. I won't bite you." His easy smirk spread into a more Cheshire cat-like grin. "Unless you want me to."

He laughed when Olivia flipped him off as Jo set a mug of fresh coffee in front of him. She took a seat next to him, cradling a glass of water. "Tell me what happened."

"How are the babies?" Kai asked, diverting the attention away from him for a moment. If his sister's heart had stopped, he'd hoped that it hadn't affected her children.

Jo's hand reflexively went to her stomach. He caught the soft smile crossing her features and Kai's casual smirk fell from his lips. He didn't remember such a peacefully happy expression ever crossing her face before. Not even when they were younger. There had been happier times, of course, but that was before everything had changed. Before their father started treating him like the Parker family reject. The Black Sheep. Like a _disease_.

It stirred something in Kai and he sipped his coffee to hide his perplexed expression. His eyes cut to Olivia to see if she had caught wind of it. She apparently hadn't, her eyes focused in on her older sister.

"They're fine."

Kai hummed gently. "What about future brother-in-law?"

"He went to the store to pick up some things I needed."

He tapped the ring on his thumb along the rim of the coffee mug. "He trusts me enough to be here when he's not?" Kai scoffed, leaning back in the chair. "Well that's certainly a change from over a month ago."

"He only agreed to it because he knew I'd be here," Liv cut in, taking the seat at the far end of the table. "So don't try anything stupid, Big Bro."

He couldn't stop the laugh that burst forth. "Sorry Livviepoo, but there's only _one witch_ capable enough to take me out and I hate to break it to you but..." Kai leaned forward and Olivia's brows raised as she leaned back away from the table. "...you're not them." Flopping back in his chair, he lifted the mug to his lips while crossing one leg over the other. "Besides, kill me and you're dead too."

"Don't remind me."

"Just did."

"Stop, both of you," Jo interjected, brushing her dark hair from her eyes. "What happened, Kai?"

Sucking in his lips, he sighed while setting his cup back on the table. "Damon tried to kill me."

"Too bad he _failed_ ," muttered Olivia.

"Ah-ah!" Kai flicked two fingers toward his baby sister, watching her gasp suddenly while grasping at her throat. When she opened her mouth to speak, no sound came out - only a pathetic croaking noise. "Hush Liv. The grown-ups are talking."

Jo sighed heavily. She wasn't about to start another fight with Kai and he knew this. Besides, she didn't have any magic to counter the spell. Jo raised her brows in apology to Olivia, to which the younger Parker sibling folded her arms angrily across her chest and waited to be released from Kai's binding.

"He tried? Or did he _actually_ kill you?"

His brows furrowed, thinking back on when Damon had plunged his arm through his gut. He thought for sure that he'd died. The horrified look on Bonnie's face just before he fell to the ground gave him every reason to believe that he had, in fact, died. The familiar sensation of death even hit him like it had the countless times he'd tried to kill himself in the Prison World.

Pursing his lips together, he began adjusting one of his rings on his left hand. "I don't know."

"Kai," she said, reaching out and grabbing his wrist. "You died, didn't you?" He said nothing, only lifting his face to look into his sister's eyes that mirrored his own. "But you're still alive. How is that even possible?"

Kai shrugged, his eyes moving back to the coffee mug. "I just told you, Jo. I _do not know._ "

Was it residual magic from when he'd left the 1994 Prison World? Had that dimension followed him into the real world? He'd never gotten killed in the present to test out that theory. Apparently Damon had performed the experiment for him, intentional or not. Though Kai was willing to bet on the latter.

Finishing his coffee, he made his way to the sink and cleaned the mug out. "In any case, I'll be more careful from now on. If it's just the lingering effects of the Prison World, then it means it's not permanent." He laughed. "Maybe that was my last free pass from death."

Jo stood up, wrapping the robe even tighter around her. Kai's back was to Olivia but he snapped his fingers and he heard his sister make something akin to a retching sound before she began her colorful range of insults at him. Glancing over his shoulder, he winked at her and she stormed out of the kitchen.

"I wish you wouldn't antagonize her like that." Kai set the mug over on the drying rack, deciding to do the other dishes in the sink while he was at it. "Unlike us, she _lost_ her twin."

"And she's going to have to get over it, Jo," he replied sharply. "Luke is with me forever, whether she likes it or not. She can choose to accept it and meet me halfway, or she can continue hating me until she's blue in the face. But I'm not going anywhere and neither is Luke." He placed the last of the dishes into the drying rack, wiping his hands with the nearby dish towel. "I'm trying to fix things. One thing at a time, but dammit, I'm trying."

"And Dad?"

"Don't, Jo." His voice held a clear warning in it.

But, like always, Jo ignored it. "You're still planning on killing him, aren't you?"

"Jesus, you sound like Bonnie," Kai said, half laughing. "No, I'm not going after our old man." Jo gave him "that look" that he knew so well. "I won't attack him if he doesn't attack me." He poked his twin on the cheek. "But you better hope he doesn't have any other talismans of yours lying around. Wouldn't want a repeat of what happened last time when the old timer found out that I was trapped in my prison world with a Bennett witch. Magic or no magic, he still sees you as a liability when it concerns me."

He saw Jo's face twist into a grimace. Even she had been slightly appalled that their father had gone to such measures to ensure that Kai never got out. To sacrifice her without a single moment of hesitation? But Kai already knew that look before she could voice her concerns. Because he'd been asking himself the same question over and over again for almost twenty years.

What good was power if there was no one to share it with?

Kai reached up and flicked Jo on the forehead. She made a noise, hissing as she cuffed him on the side of the head. He laughed, his hand moving to press against her stomach. "Take care of my little nieces and or nephews, hm?"

Moving past her, Jo followed behind him as he made his way to the door. Opening it, he was about to leave when Jo grabbed the side of it - halting his steps. "Where are you going?"

He smirked, sighing as he lifted his head to the ceiling. "Well, I feel it is my civic duty to check on my former fellow inmate. Make sure she's coping and all that jazz." Kai turned to look at his twin, giving her a wink. He knew how much Jo cared about Bonnie but little did she know, he'd come to care for her too. "Shell shock is a bitch."

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _Woo! Made it to the end of another chapter. Sorry I scared you guys in the last chapter. I love leaving you guys on these weird cliffhangers, I don't know. Sue me. XD But yay! We're out of the prison world and back to the real world! I was also missing Present Kai so I got to write him out some here. Everyone who has left me reviews, you all have been so kind and supportive and I can't thank you enough! Please continue to leave me comments, it really does help me out. And, again, another shout out to **mysticfalls-originals** and **donutworry** \- both are amazing writers and should be given so much love! See you in the next chapter!_


	10. A Collapsing Star

"That fucking jackass," snipped Lydia, slamming the door to the downstairs office roughly behind her just as Kai shooed Lonnie off to find her brothers and sister.

"Everything alright, baby?"

"No," she half growled, her face reminding him so much of Bonnie that he had to take a moment. She tapped her nail across the back of her phone, biting her lower lip in aggravation. "I'm going to snap his neck."

"Damon?"

"Stefan!"

Kai's eyes grew wide, his mouth forming an 'O' in surprise. Lydia _adored_ Stefan. To hear her threaten bodily harm to him was so far off the spectrum of reality that he had to wonder just what the hell happened on the phone. Instead of asking about it, he decided to let her stew for a moment. He could see she was collecting her thoughts, her mind racing with various scenarios and consequences of said scenarios.

"I can't believe he doesn't know where Damon is!" Lydia turned her glare to Kai but he knew her anger wasn't directed at him so all he could do was smile. "I mean, how can he _not know_ where his own damn brother is?!"

"It's Damon," he said with a shrug, then a laugh at her narrowing her eyes at him. "Are you really surprised?"

She huffed. "No, but dammit, Mom _just_ talked to him last week." She brought her hand up to rest on her hip. "I'm going to snap his neck too."

He made his way over to the table where crystal decanters were, picking up the one with gin in it and poured a modest amount into a glass tumbler. He handed it to his daughter and she took it, setting her phone on the mantle of the fireplace. He then poured himself a not-so-modest amount of gin into a second tumbler, clinking the glass against Lydia's and took a well-deserved drink.

"Mom liked bourbon," Lydia said off-handed.

Kai snorted, rolling his eyes as he sipped from his glass. "Because of Damon. She became his drinking partner in 1994."

A soft hum came from her as she took another drink, setting the glass on the table by the decanters. "She said you hated bourbon."

"Because of Damon," he said with a laugh.

Lydia couldn't help but laugh with him, shaking her head. "God, you two _always_ had it out for each other."

He drained his glass, already prepping a refill. "Up until the day your mom and I got married."

"He had Aunt Elena back then, didn't he?" Kai hummed in assent. "So why was he always riding up _your_ ass?"

"I think your _dear uncle_ loved your mother in his own way."

"You'd think he was in love with her or something."

"Yeah, you'd think, wouldn't you?" A frown was etched on his features, the glass pressed against his chin in thought.

Lydia laughed, bringing Kai out of his momentary reverie. "Oh stop that," she chided. "You and Mom only had eyes for each other. It was-"

"Gross. I know. Lonnie already expressed as much." They both shared a laugh, clinking their glasses together once more.

After a brief moment of companionable silence, Kai met his daughter's gaze. She had aged so beautifully, just like her mother. Her piercing blue eyes bore into him and he felt his breath hitch softly. She seemed to take note of this, seeing as how this wasn't the first time he'd often commented on how much she looked like Bonnie. Feeling her hand slipping into his, he blinked and looked down to see that she was gripping onto him in a form of comfort.

"Liddy..."

"I'm sorry, Dad," she said suddenly, causing him to lift his face to hers. "I...I didn't mean to snap like that."

He squeezed her hand back, returning the comfort to his eldest. "I know, baby." His brows furrowed. "It's not like I gave you much time or choice to take in everything I threw at you all."

"Even so, Dad, I shouldn't have reacted like that. It's inexcusable."

"Lydia, you-"

"No listen, please." She frowned slightly, averting her gaze and a knot formed in Kai's chest. "I'm a parent too. I should have understood how hard it is to be able to break that kind of news to children. I don't even think I would have been able to do it. Just...kept my kids in the dark about it." She looked back at him. "Blame it on some colossal magical fuck up."

He flashed her his trademark grin. "We're not exactly traditionalists, your mother and I."

She half-snorted. "Tell me about it." Lydia drained her glass. "We Bennett-Parkers are a weird bunch."

Kai scrunched up his nose. "Aren't you a Callahan now, last I checked?"

"Don't start, Dad."

Lydia moved forward, wrapping her arms around Kai's neck and he rubbed her back the way that he often did when she was a child and had just woken up from a bad dream. This was a nightmare. The worst he'd probably ever had. Losing Bonnie. Not having her at his side. Not being able to go with her to the afterlife. It was a cruel form of punishment, this curse of his.

Burying his face in her hair, he smelled wisteria mixing with her natural scent of fresh towels. All of his children had unique smells but Lydia's had always brought him comfort. Calming his nerves as he tried to maintain a stiff upper lip. Because he knew that this was going to be another harrowing journey for himself. Having to live his life without Bonnie after he had decided to orbit around her. His golden star...

"I love you, Dad," Lydia whispered. He could hear her fighting back her tears. "I love you so much. No matter what happens."

He placed his hand along the back of her head, fingers slipping between her dark tresses. "I love you too, baby." Kai was fighting his own feelings back. "We're going to get through this. Trust me."

Kai's thoughts kept circling back to hearing Bonnie's voice calling out to him when he died earlier. He didn't remember hearing it when Bonnie and he had gone out to the woods, both deciding to pass on together. It was late in the night and the children had come back home at their request. Because they knew it was going to be time soon. They had promised to leave that world together. Just like the prison worlds.

Together.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett Home ~_

Bonnie groaned, stretching her legs out fully in her bed and noting that her legs were tangled in the sheets. Sweat covered part of her pillow, but she was fighting the urge to wake up. Her fists clutched the hem of her tank top, feeling the heat of morning sun on her skin. She didn't want to wake up now that she was finally able to sleep in her own bed. Caught on the precipice of a nightmare, her brows knit harshly as she bit her lip with enough strength to break the skin.

The taste of blood is what had her sitting up, catching herself before she fell out of the bed. Bonnie's chest rose and fell as she swallowed mouthfuls of air, fingers tangling in her hair before she curled them into fists and tugged at the roots. The pain forced the last dregs of sleep out of her and she bit back a sob, curling her legs up so that her knees were pressed tightly to her chest.

"Breathe," she whispered, wrapping her arms around her legs and burying her face in her knees. "Just breathe, Bonnie."

She took several minutes to calm herself down. Slow and steady breaths finally brought her down from the height of an oncoming panic attack. Her mind flashed back to when Kai had kissed her, settling her nerves when she'd set the stove aflame back in 1903. Bonnie clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth in annoyance.

To think that Kai Parker had actually shown a shred of compassion toward her.

But was it really that strange? She'd spent over a month with him, sharing meals and even civil conversations. He'd even made her laugh on more than one occasion. He wasn't all that bad, but Bonnie wasn't naive enough to believe that he was all that good either.

He _was_ changing, that much she could attest to. The fact that he could have left her back in 1903, the very way that he had back in 1994, and _didn't_ was a far cry from the old Kai she had come to know and fear and even hate.

She grimaced. She wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. Her eyes fell on the digital clock by her bed and she groaned miserably, seeing that she'd only managed to sleep for an hour. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she had been internally worrying about Kai. Had his meeting with his sisters gone alright? Did Olivia try to stab him with a kitchen knife this time? The mental image had Bonnie laughing.

A light tap against her window brought her out of her thoughts. She almost believed she had been hearing things when nothing followed after a few seconds. However, at the next three taps, Bonnie stood and crossed the room to her window. Pulling back the sheer curtain, she squinted from the pool of sunlight and quickly shielded her eyes. Blinking quickly to adjust her sight, she peered down to see Kai waving at her from her front yard while dropping a few pebbles from his hand.

Dressed in a light gray sweater and dark jeans cuffed over a pair of combat boots, she took a moment to drink in his presence. He gave her a wide smile, waving again and then spread his arms out wide, as if to tell her that he was waiting on her to do something. He was so damn annoying.

Shoving the window up, Bonnie sank down onto the sill and leaned her body out. "What?" The cool morning air felt nice on her skin.

"How'd you sleep?"

"Okay."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"You're lying." He stuffed his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels. "Can't sleep without me in the bed with you?"

Bonnie gave a loud scoff. "Ha! You wish."

Kai _tsked_ at her and she grabbed a fistful of twigs, throwing them at him. She missed. "You can admit it, I won't judge."

"Too late," she mused, waving her hand at him as if to dismiss him.

He snickered. "You're right. I'm already judging you."

She sighed. "What do you _want_ , Kai?"

Kai pointed to the door. "Let me in?"

"No."

"Come on. We're friends." He paused, his smile growing just a bit larger. "Let me in, Bonnie."

Her mind replayed that moment they shared in the witch's crypt. He'd asked the same thing of her, to let him in as he crowded her space. Bonnie huffed, moving to slip back into her room. She watched him take a step as his smile fell, looking like a kicked puppy. She laughed despite herself and this caused his boyish smile to return.

" _No_ ," she said with a smile, shaking her head.

"Then get dressed and come out. I'm starving and Jo didn't feed me."

She shut the window without another word, making her way to her closet to fish out some clothes. She grabbed a pair of dark skinny jeans and a white fitted top that laced across the front of the low dip in a 'v' line. Since it was still a little cool out, Bonnie tugged out her leather jacket and threw all the items on the bed. She then made her way downstairs, not caring that she was clad in just her tank top and Sophie shorts.

Bonnie opened the front door, a little surprised to see Kai waiting on the porch and not still in the yard. He raised his brows curiously, his gaze dipping first down and then back up to her face - drinking in her appearance. She schooled her face, giving a half-scowl at his cheeky demeanor.

"You're not going out like that, are you?"

"What do _you_ think?" She pulled the door open wider and stepped to the side to let him in. "I don't want the neighbors talking about some guy standing around in my front yard looking like a moron."

He brushed past her, making a noise akin to an insulted grumble. "Hey, that's not a very nice thing to say."

"Have you met me?" Once he was inside, she closed the door and moved around him - making her way back to the stairwell.

Kai propped an elbow on the railing as she made her way up the stairs. "I have. The Bonnie Bennett _I know_ is nicer than that."

"Yeah? Well _that_ Bonnie Bennett got left behind in a prison world back in 1994."

He caught her hand just as it was gliding up the railing, stilling her movements. She gave him a downcast look and wasn't prepared for the image in front of her. His handsome face and light dusting of stubble across his chin and lips - the way he filled out the sweater to emphasize his broad chest. But what threw her off the most was the hurt that was reflected in his eyes. It completely unbalanced her when normally she would have yanked her hand free on reflex.

Bonnie watched as Kai's eyes lowered from hers to look at her hand. He gave it another gentle squeeze and it caused her own heart to squeeze in response. She couldn't bear to look at him so she twisted her neck so that her face was pointed toward the ceiling. She knew that was a cruel thing to say after what they'd experienced together. It wasn't fair. Not after she'd decided to give him another chance.

"Sorry..." she finally said, looking down at his hand and focusing on his rings.

Kai shook his head. "No, you're right," he said in a low voice. Her brows furrowed, forcing her to look at him and it stunned her to see that he hadn't taken his eyes off of her. "What I did to you back then... In that place? There's no excuse for it. You leaving me behind in 1903? I get it."

"Kai..."

"But even so, it still hurt me." Bonnie's eyes grew wide even though her brows knit even tighter. "You hurt me, Bonnie."

A sharp prick of anger spiked inside of her, feeling the need to defend her actions even if it hadn't originally been her idea. "You left me alone first! You-"

" _I know_ ," he said cutting her off. "I know I did and that's why I can understand you and how you feel."

Her lips pressed into a thin line, fighting back the tears that were threatening to form. He used his free hand to wrap over hers and she curled her fingers into her palms slowly, feeling her body tremble.

"I know what you felt. I know that pain now." He sighed gently, giving her a look that was so earnest it almost made her legs collapse beneath her. "And for what I did, I'm sorry Bonnie. I really am."

Tears escaped and Bonnie blinked, quickly turning her head away so she could wipe the back of her hand against her cheeks. That was all she had ever wanted from anyone: to understand her. To know the suffering and pain that seemed to constantly fall on her shoulders. To tell her that it was okay to feel the anger and hurt that was festering inside of her. To say that it was okay for her to be a little dark on the inside; to want to put herself first for a change.

Clearing her throat, she finally pulled her hand free and flattened her palms along the front of her tank top. "I'm gonna shower and change so just...give me fifteen minutes and we can go?" Bonnie turned and quickly padded up the stairs, pausing halfway to turn and point at him. " _Don't_ break anything."

Kai smirked. "Of course."

She didn't know why, but seeing his characteristic boyish grin made her smile in return. They were going to try and be friends. There was nothing wrong with that. She was going to take a chance and see if Kai really had turned over a new leaf. To see if they could mend the bridge that they had both broken between the two of them. To attempt to find some middle ground somewhere.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - The Mystic Grill ~_

Even though Kai was the one who had claimed to have been starving, it seemed like Bonnie was the actual hungry one. He watched her tear into her burger and fries like she hadn't eaten a proper meal in days. Which offended him internally. He'd prepared her exquisite spreads almost every day for over a month back in the 1903 Prison World. To see her eat away at a double bacon burger and curly fries made him want to kick all the cooks out of the kitchen and feed her again.

She looked cute when she ate.

"You're not eating."

Kai blinked, coming out of his own head. "Huh?"

Bonnie chewed, one side of her cheek puffing out as she did. She gestured to the chicken tenders basket he'd ordered and had barely touched. He sipped from his cup instead, biting back a smirk.

"I thought you said you were starving," she asked in mid-chew.

"I am."

"Then why aren't you eating?"

"I'm too busy watching you eat," he replied easily, waving his hand back and forth. "It's distracting."

She swallowed and then huffed, sipping from the straw in her cup. "Close your eyes then."

Kai laughed. "Hey, I didn't say it was a _bad_ thing." He propped his cheek on his fist, canting his head to the side. "You're really cute when you eat. Especially when it tastes good."

Bonnie wrinkled her nose and then rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"I'm serious!" He leaned forward, cupping one of his hands by his mouth. "Especially when you think no one is looking. You make these happy noises." Kai fell back into his chair, chuckling at her surprised expression and he bit his lower lip to keep from laughing again.

"I do not!"

"Do too," Kai said while picking up a few fries from the basket. "You'd never compliment me on my cooking, but I knew how much you liked it just from the sounds you'd make."

She rolled her eyes and bit into her burger, chewing obnoxiously on purpose which elicited a chuckle from him. "I hate you."

"So what do you want to do after this?"

"What do you mean?" She polished off the last of her burger and washed it down with her soda.

Kai tore into his chicken fingers finally, waving the piece around in a casual manner. "I mean, what do you want to do after we finish eating?" He popped the last bit of the chicken into his mouth and watched her expression grow more and more confused. "Do you wanna go see a movie or go out for drinks? You know, hang out?"

Bonnie looked torn between laughing and choking. Instead, she lofted a brow. "First of all, it's broad daylight and I'm not an alcoholic yet. Second of all, why in the world would I want to hang out with you?"

"Because we're friends?"

"Since when?"

This time Kai was the one to roll his eyes. "Seriously, Bon? This again?"

"What?"

"You said you were giving me another chance, right? So we should be hanging out, getting to know each other and all that jazz. Like proper friends?" He paused, narrowing his eyes playfully at her. "Unless you'd still rather die of cholera than spend an afternoon with me?"

Bonnie's lips fell open in shock. Probably surprised that he would remember that but it was something that was hard to forget. Rarely did he let people's words affect him. But Bonnie's insults always got under his skin for some reason. Even more so after he'd merged with Luke. It was how he knew that he really was beginning to change and wanted Bonnie to acknowledge said change more than anyone else.

A slightly guilty expression flashed across Bonnie's face. She must have been replaying that conversation in her mind at that very moment. It was refreshing to see someone so genuine in their display of emotions the way that Bonnie showcased hers. Maybe that was why it had come as such a shocker for him that she had flipped the script on him back when they'd first traveled to the 1903 Prison World. There was a sinking suspicion that she was going to betray him, after having so blatantly told him that she didn't really believe he'd turned over a new leaf.

Clearing her throat, Kai waited patiently for her answer - watching her bite her bottom lip as her eyes fell to her now empty plate. "I really don't want to go out anywhere. I just want to go home and relax." Her hands fell to the table gently. "I don't want to be around...people."

"So, movie night at your place? Sounds like fun."

"Kai, I want to be alone."

"No you don't."

She quickly lifted her gaze to his. "What?" She frowned. "Yes I do."

" _No_ ," he said smoothly. "You don't. You just think you do." He watched her lips forming into a thin line. "You're dealing with a form of trauma you're not able to wrap your head around. And you don't think anyone else will even come close to understanding how you feel. It's why you're trying to isolate yourself."

"That's not true!"

"Sorry Bonster, but it is. Also, I know you're lying because you have this bad habit where your nostrils flare when you're lying. Did you know that about yourself? I bet you didn't." Kai grinned, relishing in his brief moment of triumph as Bonnie tried to kick him from under the table. He had sensed it coming, shifting his legs to the side to avoid the blow and laughing. "See? Come on, Bonnie. I'm trying to help and _you know_ , better than anyone, that I'm the best person to help you with this."

"Getting help with my anxiety issues from a sociopath?" Bonnie scoffed, shaking her head. "Yeah, right..."

He held up a finger and then waggled it at her. " _Recovering_ sociopath, thank you," Kai declared, shrugging slightly. "But seriously, I'm trying here. What good is giving me another chance to prove that I'm working on things and trying to get better with these complicated feelings if I don't try to meet you halfway? But you gotta meet me there. After all, didn't you say you were going to be keeping an eye on me?"

Bonnie groaned and Kai had to resist the urge to throw his fist up in victory. He knew that groan. He knew it because it was the trademark Bonnie Bennett groan of defeat. He'd first discovered "the Bonnie groan" when she had finally agreed to listen to the phonograph with him in the parlor when they had decided to read together back in 1903.

"Fine," she snipped, fishing into her purse and slapping bills on the table. "Movies and that's it. Then you're leaving. Got it?"

Kai gave her his best, award winning smile while shoving the bills back toward her as their server came, handing over his credit card. "You got it."

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett Home ~_

On the drive back to her Grams' house, Bonnie was already regretting having agreed to this. He was going over a list of movies that they should watch, claiming that since she was too little to remember some of the classics from the 90s that they were on the required viewing list. They had argued over pop culture, the distinct lack of depth in music and how Hollywood was apparently running out of ideas that they had to go back and ruin the old classics.

He was a regular little chatterbox the entire way back and she wanted to wring his neck or use her magic to force his mouth shut.

But Bonnie also had to admit that she was surprisingly relaxed around him. Not in the sense that she would ignore certain things, like how he would occasionally catch her eye or note that his eyes lingered a little longer than necessary at a stoplight. No, she was definitely very keenly aware of these things. Those moments made her heart flutter in a way that she dared not vocalize on.

However, it would have been a lie to say that she could have fallen back into this normal routine like this with Elena or even Caroline. Sure, she knew that she needed to see her childhood friends - her _best friends_ \- eventually. But right now, she just couldn't. Because they'd never understand what she was suffering with. And with her and Damon currently at odds, she didn't want to be around him. Not until she was able to cool her head and he was able to cool his jets.

Kai took the shopping bag from her, insisting that they stop at the local convenience store to pick up some snacks and stuff to cook for dinner. She wasn't going to argue with him about staying over later that night. Kai was pushy, even after the Merge, and truth be told? Bonnie knew she'd just go to bed either hungry or heating up a bowl of Easy Mac and calling it a night.

Making their way up the small set of stairs leading to her porch, Bonnie unlocked the door and Kai breezed past her and headed straight for the kitchen. How he had decidedly made himself so comfortable was almost aggravating. But she also found it humorous in a way. Following after him, she saw Kai putting the last of the groceries and snacks away, tossing her a large bag of chips which she caught more on reflex than being prepared.

"What are you doing?"

He rifled through some cabinets, retrieving a large bowl. "Getting the chip bowl." Kai looked down at the large red plastic bowl. "Though, I'll be honest, this looks like a mixing bowl." He then looked at her. "You don't care we're using a mixing bowl, do you?"

"No, but don't you think we need movies for a movie night?"

Kai looked at her like she'd grown a second head and sprouted dragon wings as she set the bag of chips down on the island. "...you don't have any movies?"

"I do, but they're all old movies Grams has on her movie shelf."

"Nothing from your house?"

"Not really and...I don't really go back home if I can help it." Bonnie pursed her lips together, folding her arms across her chest. "No one's there anyway."

Kai's expression softened, realizing he'd touched something delicate and not meaning to. "And here?"

"It's Grams' house. Even though no one's home, I feel more comfortable here." She paused. "I can still feel her in this place."

She watched him close the distance between them, setting the bowl down on the island just next to them. Bonnie took a step back on reflex, tightening her arms around her chest. She wasn't sure if Kai was going to reach out to her and there was an expression on his face that mirrored her thoughts. Whether he should touch her or not. Part of her wanted to scream at him not to; to put distance between them like she had in the prison world. But another part of her longed for comfort - to know that everything was going to be okay.

Instead, Kai leaned forward so that he was just a few inches from her. Again, crowding her space. But instead of taking another step back, Bonnie remained rooted in her spot. She watched Kai's chest lift and fall under the soft sweater. It looked like it was soft as a rabbit's fur. Probably just as warm. Even the color was soft. All such contrasts to the character that she knew Kai was. What he was capable of.

And yet she couldn't move away.

"You're here."

Kai's voice made her breath hitch slightly. "W-What?"

His hand fell on her arm, pulling her from the defensive position she had placed them. " _You're here_ , Bonnie," he said, emphasizing his words so that she couldn't help but look at him, tearing her gaze from his sweater.

He smiled, the smile that usually followed something sinister but it was a smile that met his eyes. There was something warm there, less cold and unfeeling than his eyes had ever been in the past. He was lowering his guard again, just a smidgen, and it made Bonnie blink suddenly just as his hand moved to brush a stray bit of hair from her face.

Bonnie wasn't sure how to feel about seeing this side of him. Her body felt pulled toward him, but she resisted the magnetic jerk that was urging her forward. Bonnie's magic was roaring with life, something she knew Kai could sense as he left fire in the wake of his fingers. Unable to hold his gaze much longer, she turned her head to look at the bright red bowl instead.

She felt the heat of his fingers against her jaw, moving her face to look back at him. His hooded gaze, still gentle but with an underlying desire, caused a puff of air to leave her lungs. "You're here and I'm here. This house isn't empty at all."

A gasp slipped from her mouth, tears filling her eyes and she quickly turned away from him. She wiped her hands roughly across her face and then cleared her throat loudly before blindly reaching for the bowl and snagging the bag of chips. "I have Netflix!" Bonnie said, skittering off to the living room.

Bonnie heard Kai laugh, still in the kitchen as she heard him preparing drinks. She flopped on the couch, setting the bowl between her legs and tearing the bag open to dump the chips into it.

"Pick something!" he called from the kitchen.

She started up the television - pulling up the Netflix app and scrolling through movies. He was a guy from the 90s so there were probably dozens of movies he'd already seen. Movies that he'd probably seen over a zillion times.

Then one caught her eye. One she knew he hadn't seen. Leaning forward, she set the bowl of chips down on the coffee table. "You seen Hannibal?"

Kai stuck his head out of the kitchen, eyes wide like a child who had just seen Santa sneaking into the living room from the chimney. She didn't know if it was because he was surprised she remembered _Silence of the Lambs_ being one of his favorite films or if the idea of another Hannibal movie was possible. But as she watched his mouth forming into a slow smile, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing.

"Just marry me."

And then she did laugh. "I hate you," she said, shaking her head and motioning for him to move his ass. "Now hurry up!"

* * *

 _ **AN:** So yay, another chapter finished! Seriously, this story is just writing itself at this point. I wanted to really focus on Bonnie and Kai's relationship becoming something not necessarily volatile as it is a necessity. Because their experiences have changed them. Yet I know Bonnie, after everything, knew that there are some things that her other friends would never be able to understand. Again, I want to be able to build on something strong and meaningful for BonKai since you, as the readers, already know that they fall in love and have a family so I wanted to focus on key points in the past getting to that moment. I'm going to be doing some time skipping after a few more chapters. One more very important moment has to come about before we jump around and press on to the meat of everything. Thank you all so much for your patience and love and please continue reading and giving me your support. It truly means so much to me! Love you guys and see you in the next chapter!_


	11. Whatever I Am, Whatever We Are

"You're lying," Max said as he opened up his high school yearbook.

Kai leaned against the door frame of the room that Max and Lonnie had shared up until they were in high school. Lonnie had begged Kai to have the attic space renovated into her own room. Needless to say, it wasn't like Kai could say no. Neither could Bonnie. And the two of them used their magic to create the loft that she desired. Max didn't mind. He preferred his own room and in the space he was familiar with.

He grinned to Max as he set the yearbook down on his desk, shutting it with a quick snap. "What? It's true."

Even though Max was in his early thirties, he still looked like a young adult and was practically a mirror image of Kai as he was. Clean-shaven, gelled up hair in the front and the dimples in his cheeks when he laughed and smiled. But unlike Kai, his son's eyes were the same as his mother's. That luscious, deep malachite that always seemed to snatch a little bit of his soul each time.

"Dad? You _really_ expect me to believe you named me Max after the character from Tiny Toons?"

Kai chuckled and shrugged, crossing the room and falling into Max's desk chair while his son fell onto his bed. "Hey, that show was amazing. I watched it semi-religiously."

Max scoffed, rolling his eyes. " _Dad,_ " he drawled. "I'm going to need you to stop messing with me."

"It's true!" He sucked in his lips immediately.

"Dad! I'm not stupid! I figured out the truth years ago!"

"Oh?" Kai raised his brows. "So what is this supposed truth you discovered years ago? Hm?"

He watched his son pull out his cell phone, scrolling through the screen and then he showed it to Kai. It was a Wikipedia page on Tiny Toons. Kai was fighting back the urge to laugh and, instead, pretended to go cross-eyed over having the phone so close to his face.

"The character in that show? His name is _Montana_ Max! His nickname was 'Monty,' dammit."

 _Uh-oh_ , Kai thought, the battle to keep himself from laughing starting to become a losing one. "Uh-huh."

Max pulled his phone back and started scrolling through again. Kai slipped his hand over his mouth because he knew that he couldn't hide his smile from breaking out across his features anymore. But when Max stuck the phone in his face, Kai couldn't take it anymore. He rolled back in the chair as his son rose from the bed, arm still extended and holding out the phone in an accusatory manner.

"You named me Maximilian...after Max Goof, Dad!"

Kai burst into a fit of laughter that he had to immediately hold his sides as tears sprung up in the corners of his eyes. He peeked up at his son, shaking his head as Max's green eyes almost sparkled with anger. He stood up from the chair, attempting to gather himself as he rested his palms on Max's shoulders.

"W-Wait, don't be mad, Max," he said, winking at his son. "I promise, it's not a bad thing."

"Are you kidding me?!" Max turned his head away defiantly. "I never believed it when Lonnie told me. Never did. But as I got older, it all started to make sense and that _lie_ you spouted when I was younger was what didn't make sense anymore."

Kai wrapped his arm around Max's shoulder, giving him a slight squeeze. "Hey, come on, Max was an awesome kid. I watched Goof Troop as much as Tiny Toons. He was that breezy, easy-going kid who never had anything to worry about except school and growing up." His expression softened when his son looked up at him. "It was the kind of life I wanted. The kind of relationship I wished I'd had with my father...before I was isolated from the rest of the family."

The comical air seemed to dampen dramatically, filling the space with something somber instead. Max bit his lower lip and lowered his eyes in remorse. "...I'm sorry, Dad."

"Don't be, Son," he said, ruffling his son's hair. It didn't matter that Max was older physically than him, Kai was still mentally and emotionally his father. And even though they were practically carbon copies of each other, it didn't change the fact that Kai was so very proud of Max. "I'm just glad your mother and I were able to provide you and the others with all of the things we were both missing in our lives."

"Mom was an only child, right?"

"Yeah, no other siblings."

Max hummed. Because even though he had uncles and aunts that Bonnie claimed, she knew that they weren't her actual blood family. They were just surrogates. And while surrogates could be nice, nothing could really replace the feeling of having blood on your side. To know that there was family that would always have your back and always understand you; to understand the problems and thoughts and changes circulating in the body.

Only witches could understand other witches. That was how it always was. And that was how it would always be.

"Say Dad?"

"Hm?" Kai shook himself from his thoughts, looking over to Max. "What is it?"

"...we're going back to Mystic Falls, aren't we?"

His brows cinched in thought. "I...I believe so, Son." Kai released Max from his hold, allowing the young man to brush his hand through his thick hair. "Does it bother you?"

"Not really."

Max looked over his shoulder and out the window. The rain was still falling heavily, spattering roughly against the window pane. The wind was almost howling, as if it were crying out in response to the heavy loss on the Bennett-Parker household. Kai's gaze followed his son's, watching the trees swaying back and forth from the storm winds.

"I barely remember Mystic Falls, to tell the truth."

Kai smirked. "I wish I could say the same. But it was your mother's hometown and, well, it was the place that I holed up at for a good chunk of my time in the prison world."

"What about after?" He looked at Max who was peering at him in earnest curiosity. "I mean, like after you were free? Mom never really talked about your younger days much. Was it that bad?"

A soft chuckle pushed from Kai's chest as he shook his head, looking back out the window. "I wouldn't call it bad." He paused, sighing softly. "It was just an uphill battle back then, that's all."

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Salvatore Boarding House ~_

"We should go."

Bonnie caught Kai looking down at her. "What? Why?"

She, however, continued staring at the front door. "Because this is a bad idea, that's why."

"You're only saying that because it was _my idea_ , aren't you?"

"Yes. I am," Bonnie's sarcasm was so thick it caused her to smirk despite herself. She rolled her eyes at his pout. "And the _hundred other reasons_ trailing right behind it."

"The sooner you get this over with, the better you'll feel."

Craning her neck to look at him, she raised her brows. "Oh yeah?"

He gave her a boyish nod and winked at her. "Oh yeah!"

"Wrong," she mused, deflating his smile just a fraction. "The sooner I get this over with, the better _you'll_ feel."

"I'm fine no matter how this turns out," Kai said, his voice clearly showcasing his amusement. "You can't just hide from them, Bon. I'm impressed you've managed to do it this long."

Bonnie frowned. She'd been keeping to herself for the better part of two weeks now. The only person she even allowed herself to be around was Kai. And it wasn't like she hadn't tried to get him to leave her alone. He just wouldn't do it. And unlike the rest of her friends, he had the means to tear down all of her barriers - both magically, physically and mentally. It was actually very irritating but she'd come to accept that that was something that just wouldn't change about him - his pushy side. She'd finally given up and just resigned herself to the fact that he was just going to be this constant thorn in her side.

"Yes, well you shouldn't underestimate my skills at being able to avoid a problem."

"Could've fooled me," he retorted. "With as often as you get dragged into vampire drama. Oh, I mean _your friends' messes._ "

There was a bite to his words that cause Bonnie to frown, her gaze moving down to her feet. It didn't hurt so much as it was the truth. She was always having to fix problem after problem. Not because it was something she had caused. It was because she knew the cause and effects of said situations. Bonnie had lost count with how many times she'd warned her friends the dangers of messing around with things, of getting caught up in situations that would always end poorly, but they never listened.

And, like always, she had to be the one to fix everything.

But it didn't make it any less infuriating that Kai was the one to point it out so blatantly to her. To showcase her aggravation, she elbowed him in the side. Kai made a grunting noise and laughed because he knew he'd gotten under her skin. She elbowed him again for good measure and he side-stepped her in case she tried to go again, which she was, in fact, contemplating.

"Beat _them_ up, not me!" he said while laughing and rubbing his side.

"I hate you," she muttered before pounding on the door three times.

Bonnie almost regretted it, especially when the door flew open to reveal Caroline on the other side. The blonde vampire's eyes were wide as tears sprung up and she immediately pulled Bonnie into her arms. She grunted, her face buried in Caroline's hair as her childhood friend sobbed openly while rubbing her back.

"I am _so mad_ at you, Bonnie Bennett!" She felt Caroline pull back so she could look down at her, her hand moving to wipe tears from her face. "Do you have any idea how crazy that stunt was that you pulled? Do you know how worried I was?!"

"Care..." Bonnie's brows furrowed in guilt. Caroline had apparently just recently switched her humanity back on. Her and Stefan both.

"Kai Parker," Caroline said suddenly, her voice changing from pleasant to perturbed. After a few very uncomfortable seconds, she cleared her throat and pulls Bonnie into the house beside her. "I never got a chance to say this but...thank you."

Bonnie whipped her head to Caroline, eyes wide. What in the world was going on right now? Why was Caroline thanking Kai...for anything? At all? Period?

She looked back at Kai who had shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his boots and shrugging slightly. "It was nothing. Don't mention it."

"What's going on Care?"

Caroline didn't look at her. She kept her attention on Kai, as if watching for him to make a move. When he didn't, she chanced a glance toward Bonnie.

"Kai saved my Mom."

"What?" Bonnie looked at Kai whose expression remained neutral. "Are you serious?"

Again, he shrugged. He wasn't gloating. He wasn't putting on airs. Even though she knew Kai was changing, the fact that he wasn't ranting and raving about his accomplishment set her teeth on edge.

"I screwed up, Bonnie." She looked back at Caroline after she spoke. Her friend's face was twisted up in remorse, the memory of her mother still too fresh for her to ignore. "I gave my mom some of my blood and she would have died if Kai hadn't pulled the magic from my blood out of her."

Bonnie again looked at Kai who was now looking at the ground. Her eyes narrowed in anger, feeling her hands curling into fists at her side. Her magic was singing through her veins and Kai sensed it. He looked up, confused at the rising fury playing on Bonnie's face. Her eyes locked on with his and he parted his mouth like he was about to tell her something. However, he refrained. He must have seen something on her face that told him that she wasn't angry with him. But it was true. She wasn't angry with him.

No, she was most certainly not angry with him.

"So," Bonnie said through clenched teeth. "Yet _another thing_ I was kept in the dark about."

Caroline must have heard her heartbeat escalating because her expression became worried. "Bonnie?"

"I am going to break his damn neck," she muttered, turning to move further into the house. However, Kai caught her hand and held her back - keeping her lingering in the entryway while he remained outside. "Let go of me, Kai."

"Nope."

" _Kai._ "

"Not doing it."

 _Now_ she was angry with him.

"And why not?"

"As much as I would _love_ to see you unleash your witchy woo of doom on a certain vampire, that's not why we're here, remember?"

"I don't care!"

"Bon, I'm telling you that this is going to end badly if you go in there and start raisng hell."

" _I. Don't. Care._ " She stressed each word and each time she did, she could feel her anger growing.

Kai squeezed her hand. "Yes, you do." She blinked at him half in outrage. He had some nerve! "And believe me when I tell you, it's not worth even an ounce of your magic. Don't waste it on them." His eyes narrowed - his expression filling with actual concern, causing her anger to ebb just a bit. "You've wasted enough."

"Kai's right," said Caroline suddenly, causing Bonnie to round on her. "I have a pretty good idea who you're pissed at and yes, it's not worth you getting upset over. Not like this."

Suddenly, Bonnie was knocked back against the wall - the wind pushed from her lungs as the back of her head slammed against it. She barely had time to recover before she saw Kai flying back and landing on his side in the front yard. Both Bonnie and Caroline scrambled out the door, barely aware that Stefan and Elena were hot on their heels. Once outside, Bonnie could only look on in shock at the image of Damon on top of Kai as he tried to close his hands around Kai's throat.

"Damon!"

Kai coughed in mid-struggle, his hands clamped around Damon's wrists in an attempt to pry the vampire off of him. "Going for round two, old man?"

"I'm seriously going to tear your head off you little weasel!"

Bonnie's hands were already poised and at the ready, her magic roaring to life around her. But she caught Kai's expression - his blue-gray eyes hard under his furrowed brows. Even as he was fighting for his life, he didn't want Bonnie interfering. His earlier words hit her again.

 _"You've wasted enough."_

A blur tore through the yard, knocking Damon off of Kai and before the older Salvatore brother could get back up again, the younger one was throwing him down. Stefan breathed heavily as Damon clambered off the grass and stood up. The anger was rippling off of Damon to the point where Bonnie could almost feel it herself. Elena was by Caroline's side and Bonnie shifted her feet - her eyes following Kai as he began to get off the ground.

"Get out of my way, Stefan." Damon's voice was low and laced with a very clear warning.

Instead, Stefan shifted so that he was directly in front of Kai and, as a result, an obstacle in Damon's way. "Damon, you need to chill out."

"Oh I'm perfectly chill, Little Brother." The veins appeared under his eyes, the whites turning black and his sapphire orbs bleeding red. Bonnie felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end when his fangs dropped. "I'll be even better when I tear open that little punk's throat and watch him bleed out in our yard."

"Aw, what's wrong Damon?" Kai goaded him on and Bonnie could have kicked him in the back of the leg for it. "Sad that Bonnie hasn't come to see you since she's been back? Are you feeling neglected?"

Damon zipped forward but Stefan lunged and shoved his brother back. Bonnie wasn't sure what was playing across Damon's face, but it was probably a mixture of outrage and betrayal. It shocked her - to see the person she had gotten to know and even acknowledged as her best friend behaving this way. It was like the first time she'd met him all over again.

"Cut it out, Damon!" Caroline yelled. "You aren't fooling anyone with this macho act of yours." She folded her arms across her chest. "Let him go, Stefan. Let Bonnie kick his ass. He deserves it."

The older Salvatore brother glared at her. "What?!"

Bonnie bit back a laugh, resting a hand on the flare of her hip. Caroline wasn't wrong. He did deserve it. How many other things had he been keeping from her since she'd been back?

Kai flashed Caroline a wide grin. "Oh I _like_ you," he said with a wink and Caroline simply smirked, tilting her chin up.

"Back off, Kai," snapped Elena suddenly. "We still can't trust you after everything you've done." Her brows furrowed and Bonnie cut her eyes to Elena. "I'll admit that what Damon had planned...it was wrong. But you can't blame him. Not after what he saw you do to Bonnie before he got sent back! Not after what you did to all of us when you got here!"

Bonnie saw something flash across Kai's face, but it happened so quickly that she couldn't catch it. She had heard from the others what Kai had done when he'd gotten out of 1994 and left her there. How he'd terrorized everyone just to get his magic back. But she knew, now, that it was about his survival. Bonnie knew that his father would have killed him if given the chance. He was even willing to kill Jo to keep Kai from getting her magic! Because he was afraid of what Kai would do when he returned.

But that all changed after The Merge. Kai had changed, little by little, and everyone else had seen it except for her. Bonnie had been left behind in 1994 and when Damon provided her a means for her revenge, she couldn't say no. Damon _knew_ she wouldn't have. Not unless she'd known the truth of how Kai had been responsible for her being able to get back. Not if she'd known that Kai had saved Sheriff Forbes' life before she was able to pass on in peace.

And that was what made her even more infuriated. Damon _knew that_ about her; knew that she would never be able to live with herself knowing someone had already begun taking strides to redeem themselves. Which was why, in the end, Damon had kept it from her so he could kill two birds with one stone.

"It must be real nice for you to stand there, judging me like that," seethed Kai which, in turn, brought Bonnie out of her thoughts. "Like your hands are free of bloodstains. Tell me, Elena, _are they_ free of blood? You never gotten your hands dirty?" He moved his gaze to each of them. "Do all of you have such nice, clean consciences?"

Elena faltered slightly, about to deny his words when her eyes locked on with Bonnie's. She must have seen the spark glinting in Bonnie's eyes because she quickly averted her gaze. How could anyone forget the innocent people she terrorized when she'd switched off her humanity? How could Bonnie forget the way her best friend's fangs tore into her neck on the night of prom - the way she'd tried to kill her and, as a result, Bonnie had almost killed Elena in return?

Even before Kai had come into her life with his twisted mind games and jarring logic, Bonnie had already been fighting for her own form of self-preservation. The revelation had Bonnie gasping softly as she bit her lower lip. She had been fighting for her own life for so long, but had believed it was wrong. That she should have been protecting those she loved and that any form of selfishness, even something as basic as wanting to protect _her own life_ , felt wrong; like some kind of betrayal to their relationship with her.

"Only one of you has the right to condemn me for anything, and that's Bonnie." Her eyes flickered up to his face but he wasn't looking at her. He was still glaring at the others. Her heart thundered in her chest, shocked by his words. "I don't give a damn about what I did to any of you. Call it payback for all those years you had her fixing all of your problems."

"Shut-up Kai!" shouted Damon from across the yard. "What do you know about what we've all gone through? What she's had to do for any of us?" Damon's eyes cut to Bonnie in an accusatory manner. "Did you spill your guts to him out of pity when you went back to rescue his worthless ass?"

"Screw you, Damon!" heaved Bonnie, feeling her chest rising and falling from the mounting onset of her rage.

"Bonnie didn't _have_ to tell me," snapped Kai, bringing Damon's attention back to him. "When Bonnie wasn't around, what did you do? When you had a problem, you went running to my siblings for magic. And when that didn't work, you came to me. Every time there was a crisis, you always ran to a witch for help when you _knew_ it was only going to cause more problems!" He lifted up a hand and pointed it straight at Damon. "Even after I told you that your mother was a ripper, you risked _all of our lives_ just to bring her back here! She killed _thousands_ of innocent people across continents, but since when do you care about a witch's warning?"

"Kai, that's enough," muttered Bonnie, but she already knew he wasn't going to stop. He was on a roll.

Kai then turned his finger toward Bonnie, causing her breath to freeze in her chest. "You spent _years_ ignoring the one who stayed steadfast by your sides!"

"Enough!" she screamed, her magic exploding and causing a strong gust of wind to whirl around all of their bodies. The sky started to cloud over and tree branches snapped and flew off in different directions. Everyone's attention immediately returned to Bonnie as she clasped her hands together, attempting to reign back her emotions. Kai's declarations were too real and she needed to get a grip.

After a few seconds, the winds began to settle down and she sucked in a lungful of air. Her eyes glared at everyone before she let her hands fall to her side. "I didn't come here for this. I didn't come here to fight any of you."

Damon grunted, shoving Stefan from him as he took a step away from his brother. Stefan flattened the front of his shirt, shifting slightly so that he could keep himself in between Damon and Bonnie. "What did you need, Bonnie?"

She sighed, running both of her hands through her hair before clasping them at the back of her neck. "Where is Lily?"

"None of your business," snapped Damon and this caused Bonnie to slap her hands from her neck right to her side.

"It _is_ my business, Damon! I helped you get her out of that prison world where she _belongs_. You should know just why this is my business now because you saw them, didn't you?"

"What?"

Elena made a noise and this only confirmed her theory. "Those desiccated vampires? They weren't just vampires, Damon. Those were witches!" She pointed to Damon. "I don't know what your mother did, but they managed to feed somehow and are now awake and moving around."

"So what if they were witches? They got turned and that's that. You act like you've never dealt with a vampire before, Bon-Bon."

"No, these vampires are different." Kai interjected, bringing the attention back to him and Bonnie only nodded in response. "Gemini call them Heretics. They're vampires but they can also use magic."

Caroline gasped. "What?!" She looked at Bonnie and the witch could only nod her head. "Oh my God..."

"Damon? Stefan?" Elena finally spoke up, looking between the two brothers. "I know she's your mother, but didn't she call those people in the prison world her family?"

"Those freaks aren't her family. We're her sons!" Damon spat, but even he couldn't hide the hesitation that crossed his features.

Bonnie cleared her throat. She came here to make a point and to give her friends some options. "Lily is going to want to go back and get them. It's not happening, do you understand me?" She folded her arms across her chest, her expression growing hard. "Bringing them here is going to cause a whole mess of problems that I'm not trying to deal with. Keep your mother on a short leash. A _very short_ one."

Stefan's brows furrowed as he looked at Bonnie, taking a step toward her. "Bonnie-"

"I'm not kidding Stefan. You both better watch her because the minute she steps out of line, I'm ripping her heart out myself."

Bonnie stormed off, Kai following behind her quietly as she left her friends out on the Salvatore's front lawn. She was just about to clear enough distance when she suddenly stopped and spun on her heels. "And don't you dare threaten Jo or any of Kai's family to get him to do it for you in my place. You got it?"

She turned back around - pausing at Kai's surprised expression. "What?" she snapped, then shook her head when he started opening his mouth to reply. "Don't get it mixed up. I know the only reason you agreed to go the first time was because Damon manipulated you to by using me as bait. There's no way you would have done it if it weren't for me." Bonnie's eyes narrowed as she turned away from him, her eyes glaring at the ground. "It won't happen again. You're not going back there because _I'm_ not going back there."

"So pushy," he said, a smile spreading across his face. "I like it. It's kinda hot."

"Shut-up, Kai," she snipped, moving toward the pathway that would lead them to Kai's car. "We need to figure out how to destroy The Ascendant."

"That won't be hard," he replied easily.

Bonnie rolled her eyes at his flippant response. "In a way that they won't be able to put it back together."

He snickered. "Again, that won't be hard." He paused as they reached the car, turning to look at Bonnie. "But...I'll need a little help. You up for it, Bonster?"

An almost dark smile played on her lips. "Let's get to work."

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett House - One Week Later ~_

"That won't work," he said, watching Bonnie chanting while surrounded by a circle of candles.

She paused, opening one eye to glare up at him while he leaned against the fireplace. "Why not?"

"Because I'm telling you that it won't," he said mid-laugh. "Learn to trust me."

"This is the first time we've tried it! How would you know?"

Kai tapped the side of his temple. "All powerful Gemini Coven leader who is magically linked with dozens of other witches. Their knowledge is my knowledge." He smirked at her slack-jawed expression, but then she huffed and closed her eyes to continue her chanting.

He merely shrugged, jutting his chin out to where the ascendant was surrounded by a circle of salt. He already knew what she was trying to do and it wasn't going to work. But true to Bonnie Bennett fashion, she wasn't listening. Stubborn and beyond aggravating at this point, he'd wished she would just listen to him the first time. It would save them wasted minutes.

Which was what this was: wasted minutes.

The circle of salt burst into flames, the tongues of fire attempting to lick and devour the ascendant. However, there seemed to be some kind of barrier around the device - protecting it from the fire. Kai watched Bonnie crank her power up, pushing her magic toward the device but it looked like a magical bubble was encasing it. Sweat tinged her brow until it dripped from her chin. After another few seconds, the flames disappeared and Bonnie sat back on her hands while catching her breath.

"See?"

"Don't," Bonnie half-growled, pointing at him. "Don't start."

He held his hands up in mock-surrender. "What?"

She got to her feet and stepped out of the circle of candles. With a wave of his hand, Kai extinguished each of the tiny flames dancing on the wicks. He followed her into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and catching it as she tossed it to him. She fished out another, screwed off the cap and Kai could only watch in wonder as she drained half the bottle of its contents.

Bonnie's magic sat on the surface of her body, humming and simmering with life under her skin. If Kai had the ability to read auras, he would swear that a golden sunlight would outline her entire form. Her magic pumped wildly and with life - always sitting on the cusp of her fingers and just on the edge of her lips. It was why he had become just slightly addicted to kissing her. Because her magic was always so aware; so alive.

It was almost a shame that he didn't need to siphon magic anymore. It would give himself a reason to keep kissing her.

"Did you hear me?"

Bonnie's voice sliced straight through his thoughts and Kai shook his head, looking back at the curious expression playing on her face. She'd decreased the space between them and Kai felt heat rush up his neck. His lips parted slightly, feeling the moisture leave his mouth and he blinked down at her. Again, he was at a loss for words. She always managed to render him speechless which, in a way, annoyed the shit out of him. But since it was Bonnie, he couldn't help but be charmed by it in a weird way.

"Kai?"

"Huh? What?"

She canted her head slightly, her eyes roving over him. "Are you feeling alright?"

He laughed, shaking his head slightly. "I'm fine, Bonster." Kai moved past her, screwing off the cap on his own water bottle and draining his water in just a few short gulps.

"Uh-huh," she said from behind him, clearly not believing what he said. But what else was new? "So tell me, oh great Gemini Leader...how the hell are we going to destroy this thing?"

Kai pivoted on his heels, his back resting against the kitchen counter. "With magic, duh."

"I'm going to murder you."

Again, he gave a full laugh and shook his head, holding up a hand as he set the empty water bottle on the counter. "Okay, okay, I'll stop playing around." Folding his arms across his chest, he watched as Bonnie slid onto one of the chairs by the kitchen island. "You're on the right track on how to destroy it. We're going to need to channel some magic."

She propped her chin in her hand. "Well I gathered that much, but a simple incantation isn't going to do the job."

"Nope. The Ascendants were created utilizing two very powerful magical houses. Yours," he said, pointing to her and then jutting his thumb to his chest. "And mine. Which means what?"

Her brows scrunched together in thought as she looked at the ceiling. "Which means it's going to take our combined magic to destroy it."

He snapped his fingers and grinned. "Almost," he said, catching her cutting gaze which, again, caused him to chuckle. "We're going to need not just ours, but a good chunk of our family's bloodline magic."

Bonnie's expression seemed to register something, her lips parting slightly in wonder before it was soon replaced with a frown. "Well that's easy for _you_. You're directly linked with the entire Gemini coven. I don't have that luxury."

Kai moved across the kitchen so that he was standing directly in front of her from across the island. His hands slid across the surface as he leaned forward, watching her lean back as his face got closer to hers. His lips curled into a playful smirk as he raised his brows at her. "No, but there's something you Bennett witches are pretty well-renowned for. Something we Gemini were never quite able to get the hang of. Not as effectively anyway."

She scrunched up her nose, creating that tiny wrinkle at the bridge. Again, Kai resisted the urge to poke at it. "And what, pray tell, would that be?"

"Think, Bonnie! Come on, I know you're smart so you should be able to figure this out," he mused, leaning back but still resting his hands on the counter. "Why do you think Bennett witches didn't need something like linking spells and merges and shit to secure their power?"

Kai watched her, waited for her to come up with the answer for herself. Bonnie folded her arms across her chest, slipping her thumbnail between her teeth and biting on it in thought. She was focusing hard and Kai simply waited for her patiently to deduce the conclusion on her own. After a few short minutes, however, something sparked in her deep green eyes and it had his heart hammering heavily against his chest. It was exciting to watch her think and play over things in her mind. Almost like the excitement of her coming up with plans to thwart him from being able to get the jump on her like he attempted to so many times in the 1994 prison world.

"The Other Side," she said, the realization dawning on her. She suddenly stood up from her chair. "Death! The spiritual plane!"

He winked at her, her smile infectious and causing one to break out across his own face; one free of hidden intent. A genuine one. "Bingo." Kai slid one hand into the pocket of his jeans while brushing the other through his hair. "Bennett witches are _masters_ of the spiritual plane. I'm fairly certain you can channel quite a few dead souls, can't you?" Something flickered across her eyes, only further emphasizing his thought process. "You, yourself, have beaten death how many times? And without the aid of a Prison World. In fact, I have a theory."

She peered at him curiously. "What theory?"

"The reason why a person can't die in the prison world? No matter what happens to them? I believe that's the Bennett part of the spell."

"Why do you think that?"

"You have a pretty good idea of how Gemini coven members think, or at least a pretty good idea based on what I've told you. I'm sure Jo has clued you into some things. Same as Liv and Luke." Bonnie nodded so he continued. "After what I did, why put me in a prison world where I can't die? To bring me never ending suffering? Sure. But why take the risk knowing there is a way for me to get out? There wasn't always just you as the lone Bennett witch. There was your mother, your grandmother - dozens of others out there with a way to get to me without the Ascendant. If I was such a liability, my father could have stuck me in a prison and let me die after I reached that ripe old age."

Bonnie seemed to be thinking on this, filtering through this theory and it was something he had often been curious about. Just why - and how - had Bonnie wound up in his prison world? How had she and Damon both managed to get there without the Ascendant? That should have been impossible. His father had made it that way.

Unless there was a loophole that a Bennett witch was responsible for creating.

"So you're saying that my grandmother was responsible for creating a loophole to get to your prison world?" She paused and he waited for her to continue. "Or some other Bennett witch did it? But why?"

It was a good question. One that Kai, sadly, didn't have the answer to. So he gave a non-committal shrug instead which he knew would aggravate her. Her nostrils flared and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. She was mad.

"I have a pretty good feeling that it _was_ , in fact, your grandmother that was responsible for creating the loophole." He stared right at Bonnie, noting the shift in her eyes. She had said it herself. Kai had coaxed it out of her, of course, but the answer would have always been there. "...you said that The Other Side collapsed, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Did you see anyone on The Other Side before you came to my prison world?"

"What?"

His eyes narrowed, studying her. "Simple question Bon. Did you see anyone before you woke up with Damon in my prison world?"

Kai watched her with rapt attention. She was starting to squirm under his gaze but he needed to know. This was important. It was almost like a key to a lock he'd been holding his entire life.

There was a long moment of silence between them. It seemed to stretch on for eternity but Kai remained rooted in his spot. He could have just pulled the information from her by crowding her space. It was how he was able to do it before and he knew that Bonnie sometimes unintentionally gave herself away when he overwhelmed her with his presence. Even more so now that they both possessed magic and their powers were calling out to each other in earnest yearning.

Finally she sighed, lowering her gaze from his to fall to the granite top of the island. "...my Grams."

Kai crossed his arms against his chest, his grin falling slightly. Well, that definitely summed up a few things. "Interesting."

"What is?"

"Nothing, just a thought."

"What thought?"

"It's not important. Not yet, anyway," he said, moving around the island to stand next to her. He couldn't help grinning when she took a step back. "Why do you do that?"

Bonnie blinked up at him, her hand sliding along the surface of the island. "Do what?"

"That," he said, pointing down at her feet but still keeping his gaze locked on hers. "You always back away from me when I get close these days. You never did that in my prison world." Kai felt his grin spreading further. "Why is that?"

She scoffed. "You have to ask?" He nodded and she rolled her eyes. "Because you have absolutely no concept of other people's personal space."

"We shared a bed together for half a month, Bonnie. I think we're past the personal boundaries stage, don't you think?"

"No," came her clipped response as she pursed her lips together. Again, that wrinkle showed up on her nose and Kai didn't bother resisting his urge to poke at it this time. She huffed out air from her lips and swatted his hand away. "Cut it out."

"Why?"

"Because it's annoying."

"But it's so cute, I can't help myself."

"Well you better _start_ helping yourself," she said, suddenly realizing how that must have sounded when Bonnie gasped softly.

A chuckle rumbled in his chest as one of his brows raised slowly. "Don't mind if I do." He already knew the next thing she was going to do. She'd done it so often now.

However, Kai wasn't about to let her get away that easily. Just as she turned, Kai grabbed her wrist in his hand and spun her back around so quickly that her breath hitched before she slammed into his chest. Her palms immediately went up to his chest to try and push him back but Kai held her in place, his hands curving at the flare of her hips to hold her in place.

"Kai, you need to-"

"To what?" he asked, leaning forward so that her face was just inches from his. He felt her back arch as she tried to pull away from him but she only succeeded in pressing her lower half against him, the friction igniting his insides as their magic danced and melted into one another. "What do I need to do?"

Bonnie stretched her neck, turning her face away from him. "You need to stop."

"Stop what?" He tilted his head slightly. "You're the one that keeps running away. Maybe _you_ should stop."

She snapped her head back to his, eyes narrowing to slits. "What?"

Kai flashed her his patented grin. "Are you really going to just stand there and pretend like what's happening between us _isn't_ happening?" He could feel her magic swirling with life, dancing along her skin and fueling her core to the point that he had to bite back a moan and smother it down into the pit of his stomach. She was driving him crazy.

"There is _nothing_ happening between us, Kai," Bonnie replied, but she couldn't keep the tremble in her voice at bay.

He pulled her closer to him, forcing her chest to press against his own so that she could feel his heartbeat along her body. "Do you really believe that?"

"Yes."

Kai saw her nostrils flare.

"Liar."

"I am _not lying,_ dammit!"

He lifted up a hand and extended two fingers just by her face. "Remember what I told you at The Grill? About how I can tell when you're lying?" Kai trailed his fingers along the bridge of her nose. "You're doing it right now."

"I'm not!"

She quickly turned her face away and Kai couldn't help but admire the way her neck looked to him, the steady drum of her heart pulsing along the exposed vein. If he'd been a vampire, he'd have been hard-pressed not to sink his teeth into her. Hell, even as a witch with the way her magic was singing under her skin, causing it shimmer? It was hard for him not to press his face against it now.

His hand slowly snaked up her back until his fingers were pressed into the space between her shoulder blades. He could feel her pulse thumping against his fingers and it, in turn, caused his own heartbeat to escalate right with it. Having Bonnie this close, to be able to smell her and feel how soft her skin was? It was driving him to the brink and he didn't know how long his patience was going to last. She was driving him nuts and he knew that he was chasing her to the edge of madness as well.

He just had to get her to fall.

"Stop fighting me, Bonnie," Kai whispered, dipping his head so that his face was pressed along the juncture of her neck and shoulder. His lips lightly grazed along her neck, his breath warm against her equally warm skin. He sucked in a slow breath, taking in everything that came with the pull of air. He could feel her shaking in his arms and he half expected her to slam a spell into him to separate them.

To his surprise, she didn't.

He felt her take a quivering breath; a vain attempt to calm her nerves. His other hand moved from her hip to encircle her waist with his arm. Kai felt her breathing quicken, as if he were squeezing the very air from her lungs. But it was her own body causing it and he had to keep himself from moaning when he heard her breath hitch in the back of her throat.

"Kai, _please_ -" she pleaded, though her voice had dropped an octave and it made the groan he'd been holding back spill forth. That wasn't a plea for release. That was a plea to continue forward.

So he did.

Kai's hold around Bonnie tightened and he lifted her against him, urging her legs to wrap around his waist while turning his head to capture her mouth in a hot, wet kiss. They moaned simultaneously, swallowing the sounds in each other's throats and he smiled into the kiss when he felt Bonnie's arms snake around his shoulders so she could dig her fingers into his hair. Her hands curled into fists, tugging at the roots and pulling him back just a fraction so he could look into her hypnotic eyes.

His lips parted slightly as he leaned forward, his tongue laving across her throat before he planted a wet kiss just at the space below her jaw. He sucked in air through his teeth when he felt her nails digging into the muscles at his shoulder while still holding fast to the hair at the back of his head. Kai chuckled softly into her neck.

" _Let me in_ , Bon," he murmured slowly, repeating his request once more.

He held her against his body like that, his core tightening to hold her in the air as she strengthened her grip with her legs. For a long moment, all Kai could do was get lost in her eyes as she seemed to be looking into his - searching for something. Their breathing was labored, soft pants filling the small space that existed between them. He could see the trepidation in her face, the way her brows furrowed with a combination of wanting to fall into him and run away. Seeing that, he held on even tighter to her.

And as if to answer his own plea, Bonnie's face rushed forward - her lips crashing into his in a bruising kiss that left him breathless and wanting more. He hefted her up, making sure that she wouldn't fall as his muscles flexed in response to her urges. He fed on her mouth, parting her own with his tongue so that it could caress along hers and he wasn't sure how long his legs would hold out. Not with her moaning like that; with knowing that _he_ was the cause of it.

No. It was too late. He wasn't letting her go. She'd had her chance to run just like he had. Only this time, they'd both chosen to stay.

There was no going back after this. Kai wouldn't let her.

Because he knew that she, secretly, didn't want to either.

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _Oh my word, we're finally getting to the good stuff. xD Not to say that the stuff before this wasn't the good stuff. But we're just getting to the meaty part of the relationship between these two. It's still a process and I want this to be as realistic as possible. I want the two of them to start off in a slow burn - I know, it's killing you guys. Hell, it's killing ME to do it! I just want them there already, in that space of crazy, stupid love but I have to be true to who they are in this story! Bonnie is stubborn and Kai is relentless. We're getting there! Anyway, thank you everyone for all of your kind and encouraging words. They mean so much. Please continue to review and leave feedback and I'll see you all in the next chapter! Love you!_


	12. Safe And Sound

**_AN:_** _Now we're getting to the part of why this fic is rated M. XD In all seriousness though, instead of hopping back and forth with the timeline so that you can see each perspective in the past, I'm just going to separate the bits with some divider marks. You'll see what I mean soon enough. Finally here, Bonkamily! =)_

* * *

Kai heard the muffled cries of someone straining against something on the other side of a door. When he pressed his hand against it, he blinked in surprise to feel how much magic was pushing back to his touch. The old feeling to siphon crept up under his skin, something Kai quickly tamped down as he shook his head to wash away the strong pull of the magic from the other side.

He knew that one of his children were inside, probably purging their feelings or taking their frustrations out in the very practice room he and Bonnie had created long ago in their home. Wards were put up to make sure that none of the magic would bleed out or damage other areas of the house - a place where they could freely teach their children magic and how to harness their powers. To use them only when necessary, or at least the bigger spells. He and Bonnie both had been guilty when it came to utilize basic spells around the house for tedious chores and the like.

Kai opened the door, his breath cut short at the overwhelming amount of power that hit him. He saw Abigail in the center of the room, her eyes closed as her hair rose above her neck while her lips moved quietly in her chanting. Several practice dummies were attempting to push against her barrier, animated from her own magic in order to serve as proper "sparring" partners. Even the dummies had traces of Bonnie's magic as well as his own - always ready to spring to life once the proper spell was initiated to activate them.

A memory crossed his thoughts, reminding him of the first time he and Bonnie had turned the damned things on. Bonnie had obliterated one of them in her frustration with Kai, stating that he was going to get them all killed before they could properly handle their magic. Kai had sucked some of the magic out of the dummies, re-conditioning them to go a little easier than they had originally been formed to behave.

He stood near the doorway, not saying anything. He didn't want to break his child's concentration. Abigail was the new Gemini Coven leader - the power of all of the witches laced into her body, his included. When he thought about how far she'd come, how she had recovered after The Merge with her twin, Thomas, he couldn't have been more proud of her. The circumstances for his own merge with Luke had been less than desirable. What aggravated him more was that he felt like The Merge was a ritual that should have been completely erased from their lives. He had tried so hard to find a workaround it, but had ultimately failed. It was something he would always be guilty for - a sin against Bonnie and the life he had promised to build together with her.

The strong hum of magic brought him out of his reverie, his eyes darting up to see one of the practice dummies sailing straight toward him. Kai held his hand out, halting the object while keeping it hovering just feet in front of him. The wind changed, the air practically saturated with magic as three more came flying at him. With his other hand, Kai snapped his fingers and they burst into flames before he threw his arms out and tossed all the dummies away from him and across the room. But what he hadn't expected was for Abigail to be in the place of where the original dummy had been, her eyes narrowed and hands curled at her side.

Kai screamed, dropping to one knee as pain exploded in the back of his mind. Abigail took slow, methodical steps toward him - her bare feet silent along the wooden floor. Beads of sweat broke out across her forehead, a smirk touching at the corners of her lips.

"You're getting slow, old man," came his daughter's voice, having dropped slightly from the strain of the magic.

He smirked, shaking his head despite the pain. "Nah, you're just a lot stronger now, Abby," he said through his teeth. Suddenly, Kai threw his hand forward. " _Motus!_ "

But instead of his daughter flying backwards, he noticed a bright red glow beneath her shirt and her smirk grew further at the surprised expression crossing Kai's face. Her hands immediately relaxed, the pain leaving his mind before she made her way over to him and helped him up on his feet. Abigail took a moment to dust off Kai's shoulders.

"You okay there, old timer?" Abigail had a very triumphant look that made Kai snort.

"Alright, spill it," he said, looking down at his daughter. She was a full head shorter than him. "How'd you do that?"

Abigail unbuttoned her shirt to reveal the pendant that was nestled just below the dip of her collarbone. It was a clear quartz crystal with intricately detailed metal workings holding the gem in place - the stone and metal work looped through a simple silver chain. The pendant was familiar and his eyes narrowed before meeting his daughter's gaze.

"How?" He paused, thinking about the last time he'd even _seen_ the damn thing. "Where in the world did you get that?"

"Mom."

Kai's eyes widened. "What?" He couldn't believe it. When had Bonnie given that to her? He could have sworn that she'd gotten rid of it - destroyed it somehow. "When did your mother give that to you?"

Abigail's smile fell, averting Kai's gaze as she lifted her hand up to cradle the gem between her thumb and forefinger. "After The Merge," she said quietly. "She said it would protect me. Would help secure my spot as the Gemini Leader in case any other witches decided to get any funny ideas."

Kai couldn't believe it. Bonnie had been so absolutely against creating that pendant. He had practically twisted her arm about it, but he'd made it to guarantee that his father or any of the other Elders couldn't come after him and take his claim to leadership from him. Magic was always on his side, but he knew that if the coven ever tried to turn on him or attempted to throw him into another prison world, he wouldn't be able to fight them all off. It was an internal fear that had latched itself to him, especially when Josie and Lizzie started getting older.

There was always the chance that they wouldn't adhere to Jo's wishes and not force his nieces to merge just to get rid of him.

It was why he and Bonnie had fashioned the very pendant around his daughter's neck.

She dropped her hand to her side and Kai reached out to touch the gem, the stone pulsing a soft red at the closeness of his magic. "I was so sure that your mother had destroyed this thing."

"Guess she wanted to make sure that I was safe," she murmured, bringing Kai's gaze back up to Abigail's. "No matter what."

Before another word could be said, Abigail threw herself into Kai's arms and he gave a soft _oof_ in response. His arms hovered around his daughter before he let them fall easily around her back. "Dad?"

He rested his chin on the top of her head, feeling her magic thrumming with life against him. Even though it was a life he never wanted for Abigail, Kai would have been lying if he said he wasn't happy to see that she'd fallen into the role of coven leader so easily. Like she had been preparing for it far longer than he even realized.

"What's up, Abby?"

"I never got a chance to tell you this...and I wish I had done it while Mom was still around," came her soft voice, half broken from holding back tears. "But thank you."

Kai pulled her back a measure. "For what?"

"For bringing Max and Lonnie into the world."

The breath left Kai's body, his brows knitting as he tried to fight his own feelings back into the pit of his gut.

"What do you mean?"

"I think if they hadn't been around, I don't know if I would have fought so hard to get so strong. To be the leader that I am now." She squeezed Kai's arms and then hugged him again. "I know Mom had been fighting a lot with you back then, when talks of it got brought up when Thomas and I were smaller. But...I'm glad just the same."

Kai felt his bottom lip tremble and he quickly shut his eyes, pulling Abigail even closer to him if it was possible. They stood there in the center of the training room, holding each other and letting their magic hum and sing and cry for the woman they loved the most in the world. Hoping, in some strange way, that their magic would reach her in the afterlife.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett House ~_

She didn't just fall into him - she _crashed_. Her mouth crushed against his and he was robbed of all sense of time and space. He didn't even pay attention to the slight tremor in his muscles as he tried to find his footing. His tongue danced and tangled with hers as she moaned into his mouth. They had to get out of the kitchen. He was beginning to doubt they'd make it to the living room.

Kai's hands slipped under Bonnie's thighs to keep her right where she was. The flare of passion and magic made him dizzy. They were moaning in tandem as he willed his feet to move. Somehow, some way, they made it to the bedroom.

The door slammed against the wall as it flew open, the magic swirling between them all but screaming and seeping into the walls. Bonnie's legs were locked around his hips, his arms holding her up while her arms wrestled with the zipper on his hoodie. A light-headed feeling washed over him as he continued to kiss her lips, stealing a little bit of her breath away each time he felt her mouth on his.

There was the faintest grunt as he backed into the door and then put her against the wall. The kiss was broken as he dragged his face along her skin. His teeth set into the point of her chin before sliding down the column of her neck.

Bonnie attempted to suppress a moan and almost whimpered when she failed - her hands gliding up his shoulders so she could rake her fingers through his hair. "W-What is happening?"

She pushed at his clothing and he lifted hers as she shoved him back. Kai was panting, his gaze locked on her and every move she made. His lips came together over the pulse in her neck. "I don't know..." His breath was a hot whisper on the moist spot of her neck. "Just let it..." He pinned her to the wall with his chest and hips as he finally got that damned hoodie off.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

She was barely aware that they were in her room. Hell, she wasn't even sure when they'd made it up the damn stairs from the kitchen.

Feeling them turning, she broke the kiss when she felt her back slamming against the wall - the breath leaving her body only to have her lips captured again as feverish kisses were peppered across her mouth and skin. She tilted her chin upward, allowing him better access to her neck which he hungrily began to nibble on it, his hands fumbling around for the hem of her shirt. She shoved him back so she could pull the hoodie back off his shoulders and she watched with a slightly feral gaze as he released her hips and back long enough to shake his arms free of the material.

Bonnie's head was spinning, feeling the world take a raw tilt. His hands were moving faster than she could catch her breath and she felt her thighs quiver with want - locking them even tighter around his waist. His hoodie fell like a whisper to the ground at his feet and the cool air felt chilly against her skin - her magic simmering beneath the surface.

His mouth was hot, his tongue leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Her back arched, pushing her chest forward as their kiss broke long enough to have her shirt lifting off her and it was thrown carelessly to the floor. His words caused her to moan, Bonnie barely aware of what was even being said.

"Wait," she murmured, her breath hitching at the back of her throat. This was crazy! It was crazier that she wanted it with Kai, of all people! What little piece of her sanity remained was clinging to the forefront of her mind, screaming at her to run and push him away. "We can't do this, Kai..."

Because there was that part of her that believed he was going to just take what he wanted and toss her off to the side like she meant nothing. And no matter how much her body screamed for this, that fear was what held her tethered to the ground.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Finally.

 _Damn_ , finally! He had Bonnie Bennett where he wanted her. Where he needed her? He could feel the quiver in his skin as his hips danced back and forth against her. He got her shirt lifted and it sailed to the ground in a silent flutter. He paused to look at her, r _eally_ look at her. "You're beautiful." His lips crashed against hers again as he pulled at his shirt. He wanted it - had to have it _and needed_ that contact with her.

He leaned in to kiss her again. A swipe of his tongue against the swell of her lip. His teeth sank into the lobe of her ear with a moan. He took her arms and raised them over her head, holding her wrists with one hand. Then he heard her moan causing him to roll his hips against her.

She was telling him to wait. He had waited long enough.

His lips were a whisper of fire trailing over her shoulder and close to sailing over the rise of breasts. His gaze slid toward the murky depths of green; the deep forest that stole his breath and his words away every time. He took a deep breath and let his head raise, his hands sliding down her arms. His fingers caressing against her ribcage. "Bonnie..." There was a pained, yet earnest, look as he let his fingers sink into the softness of her skin.

"I've never wanted anything more in my life, the way I want you now."

"You say that now because it's what you want." Her pulse beat so heavily and he couldn't ignore the way his body ached when he rolled his hips into her. A half-rattled breath and moan was all she could give him before those lips parted again. "You don't know about tomorrow. Everything could change tomorrow after you've gotten what you want."

His brows knit as he held her, the restraint making his biceps tremble. " _I know_ , Bon. I know that...I still have some things to atone for. I know that it will take time, but..." There was an absence of all that playful, all that joking was gone. Kai, the man, was looking into her eyes.

"Please, Bonnie..." His face so dangerously close to her own. "...just let me in. I told you - I won't hurt you _ever_."

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Every ounce of logic that Bonnie was clinging on to was about to fly out the window. Her magic was roaring in her ears, along with the blood and heavy thud of her heartbeat. Her body was responding to all of Kai's touches and kisses - reacting on instinct to everything that he was giving and she wanted to fall into the abyss. She wanted to believe him, to believe that what was happening between them was real. She wanted her magic to tell her something, to show her a sign that the churning vortex of power that was radiating between was something that was going to last.

That this was going to go beyond tomorrow.

Yet there was a part of her that was still trying to hold back, even as Kai's mouth kissed and licked and sucked on her skin. A half sob pushed from her already swollen lips, bruised from his teeth and mouth and her legs locked even tighter against him.

The way her name fell from his lips, the look in his eyes almost made her heart break. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth, visibly trembling under his touch as he caressed her so softly it nearly made her fall apart. His declaration just about did her in right then and there. Brows knit so hard over her green eyes, watching the irises in his depths get blown wide in the heat of his desire and something else behind those dark sapphires. "Kai..."

It was so hard to breathe. It took everything in her to hold herself together - to keep herself from falling to pieces.

"Everyone says they won't hurt me, and yet they do. You'll be no different."

Bonnie's words came out like a rushing wind. She wasn't even sure she believed what she was saying. But the part of her that was afraid of getting too close, of letting him in? That was what terrified her. Because there was the chance that he'd use her, like all the others, and simply walk away after he'd gotten what he'd wanted.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"Bonnie, I changed because of The Merge. I changed because of _you_. Why do you fight so hard to _not_ see it?" His face was still so close to hers. His fingers dug possession into her skin. The bulge in his pants was throbbing in time to their heartbeats. He had this pained look on his face as his hands finally rose to cradle her face.

That beautiful face with those beautiful green eyes - his little witch. There was the faintest smile curling his lips, a hint of playful Kai as he leaned in to brush against her lips.

"I wouldn't be here - I wouldn't be who I am, right now, right this _very_ minute, if it weren't for you. I want to keep being who I am. I want to keep evolving, Bonnie. I need you to do it." Again that painful honesty as he let up, just a bit. Just enough for her to let her chest expand, rise and fall on an inhalation. "I need you and it's driving me crazy."

He knew what this feeling was now. The intricacies of it, though? Well, that would take some work.

"Bonnie..." He took her hands and placed it over his bare chest. His heart beat was strong and steady. Calmed even in her presence even with their raging passion barely in check. "Does this feel like a heart that would beat for anyone else? Have these eyes ever turned to any place but you?" A muscle ticked in his jaw as his head shook.

"I haven't...I can't escape you, dammit. I didn't understand it before - but I'm starting to now. So, please..." He kissed her as their fingers intertwined over his heart. "Show me how to love you. _Let me in_..."

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

His words were going to be the end of her.

Bonnie could feel herself falling into a black hole she didn't think she'd ever be able to get out of. Her arms and legs and fingers were trying to claw their way out of that ocean of steel-blue that was his eyes. They were so honest. They were so unguarded. Even more than they had been when they'd shared a meal at the diner; even more than when he'd confessed to wanting another chance in the snow before she'd left him in 1903.

Even more than when he'd all but crowded her space inside the witch's crypt.

How long had Kai been holding himself back like this? How long had he been burying himself deep inside to the point where it was spilling out now? His hands all over her body, kissing away what sensibility she had remaining... Kai Parker, the once cruel and unfeeling sociopath? He was going to completely unmake her and she wasn't sure how she should have been feeling about it.

And when that word - _that word_ \- fell from his lips, Bonnie lost the ability to breathe. Tears sprung up in her eyes and she thought for sure that she was going to collapse had Kai not already been holding her. Could she give him this chance? Could she well and truly let him in without the fear of being stabbed in the back? There were so many things that were going to get in the way of everything. Bonnie knew this. She could feel it.

But, for once, she wanted to let her body do the thinking for her. She wanted to take a chance that could very well have risked everything.

"This is crazy," she whispered against his lips, trying to catch her breath as their magic swirled around them in strong currents. " _You_ _are crazy_ , Kai."

Lurching forward, Bonnie pulled Kai against her more with the tug of her hips as she kissed against his mouth - tasting everything and feeling the sensation of his stubble along her lips. Her skin was on fire and she felt like she was going to burst into flames right in his arms. Sweat slipped between her breasts, making her hyper aware of everything - the bulge digging into the fabric of her jeans and making her core overheat with desire.

She took a moment to break the kiss, panting heavily against his mouth as her eyes bore straight into his. "Little by little," came her soft response. "You hurt me. I hurt you. We're on even ground now." She pulled her hands from his, her fingers snaking into in his hair and pulling just a fraction. "I'm not easy to get along with. My vengeance is swift, Kai. Don't let me regret this. I won't forgive you. I...I can't handle it."

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

He could see it in her eyes, feel it in her body. She was weighing her options, weighing his actions till now. That was fine. He'd let her consider everything, all the hurt and the pain. Only if she could see it for herself. Even when Damon was nearby? Kai had eyes only for her. When they gathered near her little band of misfits? His concern was for _her_. He had risked himself in 1903 to keep her safe. Because he knew she wasn't prepared for the trip home.

Everything that he had done up until this point? It had been for Bonnie Bennett. All he wanted, desired, and needed? Was for her to _look_ at him. _Really_ take a deep look at the man he was turning out to be, and find him _worthy_. Even if that meant having to show her the power that lie inside. Even if he had to make her angry at her friends to realize her worth. He would do everything to prove that he was for her and no one else.

Their kisses grew furious again, passionate slips of hands against skin. Then she tugged him by his scalp and he felt his erection jump and swell even more. She set her terms. She said yes.

She. Let. Him. In.

The smile that curled his mouth was dangerous as he pulled her away from the wall. They made it to the bed and he let her fall before crawling up the length of her body. "You won't regret it."

He could feel that the flicker and pulse of their magic was dancing. His eyes grew darker with desire as he quickly made swift work of her clothing. He couldn't wait any longer. It took him a minute of tugging, and maybe a magic cheat, to get her naked on that bed.

Kai Parker stood at the end of the bed and stared down at the now naked Bonnie Bennett. He could have died. He thanked all the saints and deities to be alive. So he could see the creamy, milk chocolate delight beneath him. His mouth fell open as he let his eyes dance over every curve and inch of skin.

He was in pain - a good pain. Kai reached a hand toward his pants and delicately unzipped himself. Letting the flaps of his pants fall open as he drank in the site of of her.

"You know how you kept telling me - 'In my dreams?'" Kai's gaze darkened as it lifted to her face. "Now, my little witch - I'll show you how those dreams went."

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Bonnie's body was restless, scrambling out of what remained of her clothes even before Kai had committed his own ministrations along her body to fully remove every stitch of it from her body. Her naked, bare skin drank in the glow of the moonlight, the heat radiating from her body in a way that almost felt unbearable. But the weight of his stare had almost done her in - made her core sing with life while feeling the wetness between her legs. Her knees knocked together, her arms rest precariously at her side - one sliding up so that her hand was resting just beside her cheek.

Her eyes watched him as he watched her - drinking in his bare chest that was kissed by the light that filtered in through her sheer white curtains. Bonnie reached out, her magic drumming against the pads of her fingers as the curtain flew open so that the moonlight could flood the room. She wanted to see everything - to feel and breathe it all in.

The ache of her heart hammering into her chest was at the point where Bonnie wasn't sure if she was going to be able to stay breathing. When was the last time she'd wanted someone so badly? Wanted them so badly that she almost hated it? Because she did. Bonnie hated how badly she wanted Kai Parker. And she hated how his words seemed to shoot straight through her heart - striking her core.

As he raked his eyes over her body, Bonnie wasn't sure how long she'd last. The pet name he'd given her just now making her breath stop, but not before a low moan pulled at every nerve ending and had her digging her fingers into the fabric of her comforter. God, she wanted to kill him. To wipe that smug look off his face. To bury that face beneath her so that he couldn't hold it against her later.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Kai - was going to explode. The eruption was imminent and there was nothing he could do. There was no force strong enough to keep him at bay. No, not any more - she gave her terms. She let him in. His teeth set into his bottom lip as a naked Bonnie Bennett lay waiting for him.

For Him? _For Him_. No one else, just for him. This look on her face? For him. The way her heart beat in her chest? For him. The window opened to kiss the room in streams of moonlight.

Dammit. Goddammit, it was true. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life. The moonlight cascaded like spotlight all over her body and his. That glistening moisture against her thighs made his mouth water.

It was all for him. This was her reaction to him. His lips curled in that typical smirk as she muttered at him. He was going to show her, now. Kai was determined to show her everything this time. He shoved his pants down and kicked them off.

He had time to mature during all of this. His shoulders were wider, more defined. There wasn't a delicate musculature of the 1994 Kai Parker. No, this man was comprised of abdominal dips and curves. Everything about him was solid and tense as he continued to stare at her. He locked the image in his mind. No matter what happened tomorrow or the day after, he would remember this moment for all time.

His hands slid up the outer portion of her legs as he moved upward. His fingers were gentle as they reached her knees. Kai's gaze darkened even more as he spread Bonnie's legs apart. His nostrils flared at the whiff of her essence as he lowered himself to the bed.

A puff of air was all she was able to muster before her eyes narrowed darkly at him.

"Shut-up," she muttered, unable to stop her own smirk from pulling at the corners of her mouth. Kai couldn't stop his own grin from forming. He almost wanted to laugh.

He was near madness as his hands looped around her thighs and tugged her toward his face. His smile was dangerous as his mouth hovered over the moist center between her legs. "Fine. I can put my mouth to better use, anyway." There was a passionate growl in his voice - right before his lips descended upon her.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Bonnie could have kicked herself for letting it get this far. What little of her logical sense remained was screaming at her to throw her magic against Kai Parker and blast him out of her house. To ward it against him for however long she could before he sucked the spell free and bombarded his way into her life once more. Everything that remained in her - everything that was telling her to get out was starting to fade into the back of her mind.

His hungry eyes made her magic flare with life, the warmth of their bodies billowing and filling the room in a way that was almost suffocating her. It was so hard to breathe and Bonnie wasn't sure if she would have even been able to breathe successfully if she wasn't breathing involuntarily. Someone would have had to remind her to take a breath because she was drowning.

Drowning under Kai's intense stare.

A sharp noise quivered from her throat when he pulled her close, the shift of the comforter unbearably loud in her ears. It was screaming, making her deaf and Bonnie felt goosebumps breaking out along her skin as he breathed against her core. A hand went up, her teeth clamping over her index finger as her world spun in circles in a haze of magic and lust.

She only had seconds to feel the vibrations of his voice against her center before his mouth followed suit and Bonnie nearly keened just from the contact alone. Her eyes rolled and she bit harder into her finger, leaving an imprint on the digit as her legs tried to close against Kai's grip on her thighs. The lamp on her bedside table cracked before it flew off the surface completely, shattering on the floor. Her digital clock sprung to life with the sounds of the radio before it sparked in response to their magic resonating with one another in the heat of this moment she never believed would ever happen.

The wet sounds he was making as he kissed between her thighs caused Bonnie to quiver under his touch. She felt like she was going to set fire to the bed itself, her hips rolling up to meet his mouth as another moan pushed from her chest. Her hands slid down her chest, over her stomach and fingers found their way into Kai's hair. Curling her digits forward, Bonnie gripped his hair just at the crown - wanting to guide him further into her until he all but melded into her center.

The push of his head lifting, resisting her urges, caused Bonnie to lift her head off the pillow and his smoldering gaze almost snatched her soul right then and there. The absolute raw want in his gaze - the unguarded desire almost had Bonnie coming undone with his head nestled between her thighs. Another pull of her center and she felt another pulse of magic radiate from her in waves.

A book went flying across the room. Then two. Then four. Until the entire book shelf began rattling from the shout of their magic dancing and pouncing and beating against each other. Her neck arched as did her back, beads of sweat breaking out along her skin - her pores wide open and soaking in the cool air in her room. When she felt his fingers digging into her thighs, pulling her legs apart further, Bonnie felt the dip in her pelvis rise up to meet him - keening again as heat waves visibly rippled off of both their bodies.

The book shelf completely fell to the floor, as did the ceiling fan.

" _I'm burning up_ ," she half sobbed, half whispered as her head turned to press her cheek into the pillow - halting her deep breathing to quick, shallow intervals.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

The crash of the lamp didn't mean a thing. His lips sailed against the inside of her thigh. His teeth dragging and pulling at flesh with a groan. His fingers dug into her hip to keep her where he wanted her. The first flick of his tongue and the sound she made? He dove in with a renewed vigor.

 _More._

He wanted to make her do more of it. More of those noises, more of those sounds. His tongue slid between the moist lips of her sex. Kai's fingers dug as he uttered a growl of pleasure. His tongue captured the taste of her as his lips closed over that tiny bundle of nerves.

The magic inside of him _roared_ in triumph, causing the dresser to vibrate. A mirror on the wall splintered and fractured but held its place on the wall. One hand scratched lightly against her outer thigh, moving inward. The other hand joined as he pushed her thighs wide open, holding the back of her knees to expose her more.

That dangerous dark-eye gazed lifting to her face.

Bonnie was quivering under his fingers, moaning because of what he was doing to her. There was another low moan of pleasure as she reached down to pull him further into her. There were feral sounds coming from Kai as he leaned upward. Moving to his knees Kai pulled Bonnie's lower half up with him. Her legs in the air over his shoulders as he dined on her as if she was the most gourmet treat in all of existence.

She tasted just like he pictured, sweet and refreshing. Her magic thrummed against his and it caused his eyes to roll. Their powers were crashing, colliding, and bouncing off the other. The bed began to shake as his tongue swirled that little nub. He wanted to draw as much sound out of this woman as he could.

She spoke in a half-sob and he swore that he swelled more. He couldn't stand it! He held her hips in his hands as he lowered her body. "Wait for me, Bonnie." His lips shone with the leftovers of her essence. Kai's body trembled as he settled her over the throbbing head of his erection.

This was it.

It was no longer a dream, no longer a fantasy. No longer a curiosity - this was the moment. Kai hadn't noticed his own breaths coming in short intervals. His heart thudded inside of his chest. This would change everything - there was no going back. He bit down on his lip while holding her steady.

And then? He rolled his hips to enter Bonnie Bennett - and his world _shattered_. There was this slow inching forward, to give her time to adjust to him. To give him time to enjoy and savor it.

He couldn't - he just could not keep that pace. He pulled forward jarring their hips.

Kai cried out as he sank inside of her to the hilt. The bed frame fractured as the bed quivered and the legs snapped. Sending the frame to the floor with a jarring thud. He couldn't hear, he saw stars, and it felt like his very soul was on fire.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Every nerve ending was firing off sensations in Bonnie's mind. She thought for sure she was going to spiral into a sunken place that there was no escape from. Kai lifted her lower half up, her shoulders bracing into the bed and she could only moan in response. Tiny shock waves of pleasure burst forth, igniting her core further and her heels dug into his back the moment her legs slid over his shoulders.

The world spun in a haze of stars. She could feel her orgasm drawing nearer with each stroke of his tongue and Bonnie felt her hips jutting up further into Kai's mouth. Everything felt so good - _frighteningly_ so. She wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to withstand all of this - how long she could handle him torturing and pleasing her all in every sweep of his tongue and suckle of his mouth.

He told her to wait. She couldn't stand waiting. She was going to die waiting another minute. Bonnie was going to fall into death's arms in a way she'd never died before and Kai was going to be her killer.

His mouth was slick with her wetness and Bonnie's nails dug into the meat of his thighs - leaving half-moon indentations in their wake. Her eyes stayed locked onto his as he slowly drew her forward - feeling his heat pulsing with life at her folds. This was the moment where everything was going to change for them both. She knew that and it scared the shit out of her.

The very moment he entered her was when Bonnie's world ended. Everything she knew and understood - _everything_ was destroyed in that single push. Her teeth clacked at her jaw when their hips crashed, only able to keep her mouth shut for a single second until she heard his cry. Her voice rang out with his.

Kai's magic engulfed her, raking through her own in a possessive form of control. But her own fought back, equally dominant and it caused her breath to hitch at the back of her throat when the bed snapped and crashed to the floor. Her head bounced off the mattress which made Bonnie grunt slightly, her hips jerking up against him so she could feel every inch of him moving through her.

And in that swift motion, Bonnie felt every emotion crash into her - striking her like a bolt of lightning. Sorrow. Rage. Desire. Even happiness. Kai ignited a craving, a yearning inside of her that she never realized was there because he wouldn't leave her alone. Her legs lock around his hips, hands sliding up his arms to dig into his biceps - feeling them flex against her touch as she marked him with her nails.

A sick, twisted and dark part of Bonnie wanted everything. His scars. His pain. His wounds. His affection. The power to bring him crashing to his knees in his own form of worship for her. Bonnie wanted to feel special. She wanted to feel needed.

Bonnie Bennett just wanted to be _first_ for a change.

Her room thundered with magic, objects vibrating off of dressers and tables and teetering to the floor without even an afterthought. One by one, everything fell to the ground - broken and forgotten. The power was so strong that the world grew dim in the moonlight until literal flames sparked at the corners of the bed - devouring the blanket beneath them.

But before the tongues of fire could come any closer, Bonnie saw Kai extinguish the flames as he rocked his hips against her. She wanted him closer and so she drew him toward her - pressing his chest against her own and smashing her lips into his in a bruising kiss. Tears spilled forth, slipping down her cheeks and neck as the pleasure and pain sent her into a tailspin of everything and nothing she was expecting. Breaking the kiss, she spoke his name between broken whines - as though his name were a spell itself.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Devotion?

Is that what this was? This sensation to give everything to just one person? The thought _terrified him._ It frightened him to his very core. The shreds of the old Kai Parker were screaming in the shadows over this foreign sensation. This feeling in his gut that had been stirring since she left him the first time. These _feelings_ had begun a surge to life when she returned for him in 1903. His shock and disbelief that she had returned - that he might have another chance...

He had given everything, down to the very essence of himself, to show that he had changed. He learned subtlety, he learned patience, and matured during their time in 1903. He spent that time devoted to learning more about Bonnie Bennett, the woman. The feisty, headstrong, doesn't know when she's lying, woman. Bonnie Bennett. He already knew how strong she was, how beautiful and special she was.

Not just because she was a witch - but because she was simply herself. He had been trying to drill that into her. To let her see that there was nothing wrong with wanting something for yourself. Kai had bit his tongue on many an occasion, wanting to add how he wanted her for himself. To the point that he dropped the hints and she took them as a joke.

He knew he could no longer use those words. Bonnie needed to see the action of it. He wanted her to feel it; the truth of these emotions that had been born inside of him.

Now he watched as something was born inside of her. His eyes were too dark as he collected himself to the pinch of her nails in his skin. The air sucked through his teeth as his hips rolled forward again. His magic flowed cool and refreshing as that night breeze washed over them. Bonnie pulled Kai down, crashing their lips together.

He let his arms settle on either side of her head. Their bodies crushed together with that fine mist of sweat allowing a soft glide. He saw the tears and, for a moment, it startled him. His hip motions were slowed, gentle, as he placed his lips over each of her eyes. These would be the only tears he would accept from her going forward.

Her legs were wrapped around his waist and he could do nothing but drive himself forward. Pushing so deep inside of her that he hoped he would disappear. Shallow breaths escaped his lungs as one hand trailed down over her shoulder to cup a breast. The kiss was broken as she wove the spell of his name to the sky.

Bonnie whined as he filled her. She whispered his name like he was something sacred. Like _he_ was the thing she was trying to conjure. He couldn't handle it - he just couldn't. His dreams of this were vivid and draining. The real thing was polarizing and so much more than he could have imagined. He dipped his chin as her name left him in a growl. Kai's hands slid down the sides of her body. His fingers interlaced at the small of her back, pushing her ass upward. Tilting her pelvis upward, he continued to drive down into the silken heat of her body.

There was a ragged gasp as she coiled around him tighter. There was a feral sound at the lewd noises echoing in the room. His eyes almost seemed clouded as he fought hard - his hips lifting and crashing into her with reckless abandon. She was beautiful. She was so worth it.

She...was his.

And now he would show her _why_ she was. He drew himself out to the tip to slide back inside of her. Over and over. In and out with his fingers digging deep into her skin.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

She leaned forward, sinking her teeth into his shoulder as a muffled cry resounded from her lungs. Her body felt prey to his bidding, responding to his heat and wanting nothing more than to freeze time in that moment just to encapsulate those feelings and sensations that were swirling between them. Bonnie's heart beat like a war drum along her chest, causing her ribs so much pain that she couldn't help but sob against his skin.

Her name fell from his lips like a whispered prayer and it split Bonnie in two. Was it the heat of the moment? Was it the passion that was speaking? Was it just the carnal desire that swam between their two magical forces - channeling and swimming and dipping in the reservoir that was their supernatural gifts? Bonnie didn't know. She didn't care.

Her window cracked - spider lines spreading across the glass and tattooing their skins with its jagged shadows. Bonnie was at the precipice, leaning over the edge of a cliff that had no bottom. But with the sharp jerk of Kai's hips burying into her own, she came unglued. The terrifyingly sweet orgasm that ripped through her entire body had Bonnie digging her fingers into his back, scraping her nails down his skin until she could swear that she had drawn blood. Her walls clamped over him, squeezing him like a vice and she wanted to ride the wave of her orgasm to spurn him on to his own - to fall into another of her own making.

Over. And over. _And over again_.

Until she was very well spent. And she was. Bonnie felt her soul leaving her body and she did not even want it to come back. She'd died in his arms and there had been no death sweeter than that.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

No amount of dreaming or imagination could have prepared him. He wasn't ready for it - for that glorious sensation that had him arching his back into her nails. The mouth-watering sensation as her teeth set into his shoulder. He threw himself into her fingers; he wanted those ragged scratches. He could feel the burn as his skin peeled beneath her nails. His eyes rolled back into his head as her window crackled.

He could feel the call of her magic, the wild fire now a raging inferno as he drove her to that end. As her pleasure built their magic and became unhinged. They were both coming unglued. Together.

Kai's eyes flashed open as she came and snapped his resolve. His fingers moved to her hips and he rode the coiling waves of her orgasm into his own. A shuddering groan rumbled from his chest and throat as he slammed his hand against the bed next to her pillow. His body shook as he flooded into her. His orgasm seemed never ending. His whole body tensed as thick veins protruded from his neck and biceps. His face contorted in a rapturous agony with the last few jerks of his hips.

His arms trembled as he rolled to the side, pulling her with him as his lungs started working overtime. He pulled her into the shadow of his body with wild eyes. Trying to let the world stop spinning in his mind.

Malachai Parker stared at the ceiling in wonder, a boyish smile curling his lips.

Yeah, she was his.

He was too tired to gloat about it.

Thank God.

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _O.O Dear lord have mercy I'm shaking all over in my own skin guys. I've read some pretty amazing Bonkai smut in my day, but I hope that this measures up to the best of the best. I wanted to be able to switch between Kai and Bonnie's perspectives as this transpired so you guys could feel **everything** that they were feeling simultaneously. SENSORY OVERLOAD AT ITS BEST! Thank you all again for your kind words and amazing feedback! See you in the next chapter!_


	13. We're Just Young Gods

The sounds of pages fluttering were all that could be heard against the soft, whistling wind outside. Kai's eyes were locked in focus at his writing desk in his study, a dozen grimoires laid out in front of him. He leaned forward, hands pressed on the polished surface of the cherry wood as his lamp illuminated the various scrawlings on the pages. A few of them were both his and Bonnie's - various notes and spells they had created while still undergoing their studies and there were those that they had created together.

Eventually, both young witches had created a joint grimoire - the very book that Kai was pouring over. Page after page was turned in frustration - going over the spell that he and Bonnie had both cast on each other several years ago. It was just after Lonnie had graduated from Portland University. They had everything together that needed to secure that the spell worked flawlessly. Every single piece from a bowl of water to sprigs of sage and Valerian roots.

Candles. Blood. Talismans. They had _everything_ and had gone over the runes and incantations dozens upon dozens of times. It should have worked!

And yet here Kai was, tossed back in time when he should have been an old man. When he _had_ been an old man mere hours ago...

Gray-blue eyes narrowed sharply, anger sparking in their depths as he trailed his finger along his handwriting and the side notes that Bonnie had made. Her sketches were damn near perfect and the runes looked like they were going to hop right off the page. His gaze lingered on his wedding band, the Celtic knot engraved on the surface of the gunmetal ring.

His heart hammered heavily against his chest, feeling the vein at his neck pulsing with his mounting anger. Kai's hands balled into fists before he let out a roar and swiped his arms across the desk - knocking all of the books off onto the floor. Books flew off the shelf and the lights flickered in response to his magic swirling throughout the room. The windows rattled and the entire study shook, barely sustaining the swell of power that suddenly began ballooning all around him.

Kai's chest rose and fell, his breathing labored and he swore his heart was going to thunder right out of his body and fall to the floor. The knuckles of his right hand crashed over and over again on the desk and it even shifted over a few inches from the blows. He could barely catch his breath, his legs trembling beneath him until he collapsed by the leather chair - his back resting along the side of the desk's drawers.

Lazily he gestured his arm forward, forcing one of the drawers to open and he blindly fished around inside. His fingers brushed along glass and he pulled out the neck of a bottle of rum. He cradled the bottle in front of him, seeing the letters "B-K" etched on the side in a lovely gold flourish - beveled from the glass. There was still half of the amber liquid swishing around inside the decanter.

A memory flooded his mind, causing a weak smile to tug at the corners of his mouth. Kai hated bourbon. Bonnie hated gin. Neither of them had wanted to battle with tequila. So they'd come up with a compromise.

 _"Rum!"_

 _Kai's face scrunched up at her, his expression both amused and confused. "Rum? Really?"_

 _She rolled her eyes, lightly shoving his shoulder. "Yes, really!"_

 _"Maybe we should just abstain from alcohol altogether?"_

 _The look on his wife's face was so close to an angry dragon who'd had its hoard of treasure touched that Kai couldn't help but laugh and shrink back a measure._

 _"Malachai Parker-"_

 _"Bennett-Parker," he corrected._

 _Her eyes narrowed further. "I gave birth to twins two weeks ago. Deny me my booze if you want. I'll turn you inside out and hang you out to dry."_

 _Kai laughed fully, wrapping his arm around Bonnie's shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze before kissing her temple. "Alright you pushy woman. Alright." He noted the flush on her cheeks and couldn't stop himself from kissing her fully on the lips. "Rum it is, Mrs. Bennett-Parker."_

He started to lose focus on the decanter, his vision blurred by tears. Kai couldn't take it. The pain in his chest was almost unbearable and a hand slowly snaked up his shirt - fingers curling into the fabric just over the space of his heart. Dipping his head slightly, he set the bottle down between his legs and quickly lifted his hand to his face before the tears had a chance to escape.

"Goddamn," he muttered, a half-hearted laugh passing from his lips. "I miss you, Bonnie..."

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket, forcing him to quickly collect himself. Maybe one of his kids was looking for him. He'd told them he was coming in here and to not be disturbed while they left to get dinner. They just needed to be out of the house and Kai wasn't in the mood to make dinner. He wasn't in the mood for much of anything. Except to drink. But even that desire was quickly fading.

But when he pulled his phone out, there was an unexpected name flashing across the screen. That old feeling of annoyance bubbled in his chest. Kai chose to ignore the phone call. Just as he was about to stuff the phone back into his pocket, it vibrated again. The name flashed on the screen again and he rolled his eyes, deciding to answer because if he didn't, he knew that they'd just keep calling.

Kai answered, holding the phone up to his ear. "What do you want?"

 _"You old...worthless weasel witch..."_

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Well hello Damon. How nice to hear from you. Your brother said you were nowhere to be found. I thought Christmas had come early this year."

There was a dark laugh on the other line, the tail end of it dragging slowly to silence before there was a short whistle. _"Kai Parker...I hate you for wh-what you did..."_

"It's Bennett-Parker, Old Man, for the umpteen-millionth time." Kai leaned his head back to rest against the desk. "And what did I do now?"

 _"You know what you did! ...stealing Bonnie away... Now she's...now she's dead because of you!"_

"She died the way she wanted to, Damon. _Of_ o _ld age._ " This was getting nowhere. "And she lived a damn good life without all that drama back in Mystic Falls."

 _"You...shut your fucking mouth, you little punk! We loved her, dammit, and you didn't have any business taking her away! She was **our witch** and she...she was happy!"_

As Kai eyed the bottle of rum, a new thought dawning on him. "...have you been drinking?" He couldn't help but laugh outright. "Damon? Did you seriously just _drunk dial_ me?!"

 _"Shut-up Kai! So what if I did? I found out from Stefan that she's dead so what did you expect, you fucking jackass?!"_ Kai snickered, rolling his eyes as he stood up from the floor to pour himself a drink. He heard Damon doing the same. _"...wait, who is this? This isn't that old punkass witch who married my best friend."_

Kai sipped from the glass, propping the phone on his shoulder as he ran a hand through his hair. He heard this diatribe at least once a year. "Pretty sure I'm that same guy."

 _"You don't sound like you."_

"Shocker."

 _"In fact...you sound just like you did the first time I saw your stupid face."_

"Does it take you back, Damon? Getting all sentimental on me in your old age?" Why did Damon always manage to dredge up the old side of him time and time again?

There was silence on the receiver. The length of time Damon didn't say anything on the other line actually _bothered_ Kai. For what reason, he wasn't quite sure.

 _"Kai? ...what in the hell did you do?"_

"What do you mean?"

 _"Why do you sound like a brat again?"_

Kai wished, more than ever, that he could snap Damon's neck over the phone. Those damn vampire superior senses were going to be the end of him. Instead, he chose to ignore the question and move on to something else. Something that would, hopefully, get Damon to quit trying to probe him for info. Because it wouldn't take him long to figure out that Kai wasn't an old man anymore, but in his early twenties.

"What do you _want_ , Damon?"

There was another extended pause. It sounded like Damon was starting to sober up which wasn't about to bode well with Kai either. Regardless of the yearly "I blame you" phone calls, they had managed to come to a mutual understanding. Bonnie was their one link to maintaining some level of civility toward each other. With her gone, all bets were off. And that was what Kai was concerned with. He knew he still had it out for him for how he'd tortured Elena all those years back, as well as a cornucopia of other things.

He heard Damon sigh on the other line. _"When are you coming back to Mystic Falls?"_

Kai turned around, leaning on the desk. "I have to arrange for Bonnie to be transported. So in a couple of days. Give or take."

 _"You're gonna let her body sit for a couple of days?"_

"How drunk _are_ you?" He gave an aggravated huff. "I'm a witch, genius. I've already put a spell on her to preserve her body for transport."

The older Salvatore brother seemed to be thinking on this. _"...well, we'll all be here when you arrive."_

"Hmm," was all Kai could offer, sipping more of the rum before capping the decanter and setting it back into the desk drawer. "The kids are coming with."

 _"Grandkids?"_

"Doubtful. They're all in school or working. Everyone's been called though." His brows furrowed. "...we're having The Wake here."

There was another long stretch of silence. Kai was starting to think that Damon may have hung up, but the occasional puff of air and sigh was all that could be heard from the vampire. While he and Damon never got along fabulously, their love for Bonnie was a common factor. But at the end of the day, Kai would have always chosen his wife first. And that was something that, in his mind, put him leagues ahead of the others. Later on in life, he would learn that it wasn't out of spite or vehemence that they took advantage of her. It was just an unconscious reaction, one that Bonnie had spurned on unknowingly - without realizing it.

She had devalued herself for so long that putting herself first was something unexpected. But it was something Kai knew she had deserved. It was something she had earned. And the more and more he got to know her and the life she had led, the kind of hardships she'd had to go through, the more and more he grew to understand her. And with that understanding, Kai grew to love her a little more every day. His love for her had magnified beyond measure on the day they both walked out to the forest to embrace the end of their long, fruitful life together.

 _"She was too good for you."_

"Not this again."

 _"You didn't deserve her."_

Kai laughed. He couldn't help himself. "For once, I agree with you."

 _"...was she happy, Kai?"_

"What do you mean?" His anger flared up for half a second before he realized what Damon meant. "Couldn't you see for yourself when you'd come visit?"

 _"No, I mean...did she get to live the life that she wanted? Were you able to give that to her?"_

He looked at the scattered grimoires on the floor, pinching the bridge of his nose before his eyes moved to sweep over their study. There were various photos of them together from their youth - of their time together. College. Graduation. Marriage. When Bonnie was pregnant with Lydia. But his eyes finally stopped on a photo of Bonnie cradling Lydia in her arms. There were happy tears in her eyes and he could remember the first words Bonnie said to him before he'd snapped the picture. He'd almost dropped the camera.

Clearing his throat, Kai sank into the leather chair - feeling every bit as old as he'd ever felt despite his youthful outer appearance. "Yeah," he said, almost tiredly. "...I'm pretty sure I did."

Without waiting for a goodbye, Kai ended the call and set the phone on the desk.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Mystic Falls Cemetery ~_

Bonnie knelt before her Grams' grave, setting a bouquet of flowers that had been growing in the backyard of the Bennett House. There was slight trepidation as her hand moved to sweep over the dead leaves covering the granite headstone that was set into the ground. Bonnie could only look on with wonder now instead of sadness. Kai's words reverberated in the back of her mind, along with a host of other different sensations. Feelings that she preferred to ignore for the time being. Urges that she would put on hold and address at a different time.

It had been a week since she and Kai had slept together. Whether it was because Kai had a pretty good idea of the inner struggle Bonnie was battling with or because he could pick up a hint, he'd given her her space. He didn't leave her alone completely, but Kai didn't crowd her either - to which she was grateful for, even if she didn't voice it out loud. They were still trying to figure out a way to destroy the Ascendant so that The Heretics would have no way of jumping to their world the way that Lily had. Bonnie was thankful for something to hyper focus on; something to steer her mind away from the tiny seedling that had been planted inside of her heart.

In the mornings, he would make her breakfast and leave for a good portion of the day. Bonnie never questioned where he was going or when he was coming back. He just did, getting dinner ready as she picked a movie for them to watch. In passing, he would take a chance to let his fingers brush against hers - walking away as if nothing had happened. Bonnie wasn't against the gesture in the beginning, but she had to admit that it did unnerve her a little bit - his need for touch. As if he needed to verify that she was real. That what had transpired between them had been real.

Bonnie felt herself wondering, not for the first time, just what kind of life Kai had growing up. Sure, he'd shared the story with her that Thanksgiving Day in Portland, but there were still holes in the story that Kai had yet to fill. Sure, she could have gone and asked Jo herself, but that wasn't the same as getting it from the person who had been isolated.

While they shared her bed at night, Kai had made no inappropriate advances on her. Not unless she wanted it. The most he'd done was grasp her hand, interlocking their fingers while he had been sleeping. She'd awoken to sweat beading his forehead - trapped in a bad dream of his own it seemed. Something had gripped at her heart in that moment, seeing him so vulnerable, and Bonnie knew that she wasn't as afraid of Kai Parker as she had been in the past.

Were they friends? Probably. She'd decided to give him another chance, after all. A chance to redeem himself and show that he had, in fact, changed for the better. But even she could not ignore the feelings that were creeping around inside of her chest over everything that had transpired between them. He'd even gone out of his way to make repairs after the night they had shared together - destroying her room as a result of their magical love-making...

Her fingers pressed into the grass by her leg. Love. Is that what he'd asked of her? To show him how to "love" her? Bonnie had chocked it up to Kai being caught up in the moment - not realizing what the hell was spilling from his mouth. But the term "love" seemed a bit of a stretch, even for someone like Kai. He may have been feeling these new sensations, but surely it wasn't love. Maybe the idea of it, sure, but in actuality, there was no way that that was possible. Not really.

Or was it? There were just too many conflicting things that were battling for dominance in Bonnie's head. She needed to focus on one thing at a time and right now? It was how to prevent Lily Salvatore from being able to go back to 1903 and retrieve her dysfunctional, witchpire family.

A sharp chill went up Bonnie's back. Her fingers instinctively curled into her thighs as the magic flared with life all the way to the tips of her fingernails. Seconds later, there was a soft shift in the grass just several feet away from her. "Take another step and I'll tear you apart."

Bonnie craned her neck slowly, her eyes falling to a pair of boots before her eye-line trailed up the skinny jeans, a hunter green top and a dark red leather jacket. The pale face and sapphire eyes were in stark contrast to the fall of dark hair around their neck and shoulders. The woman's thin lips were pursed together in a smirk - almost mockingly and this made Bonnie's eyes narrow harshly.

"What are you doing here, Lily?"

The woman's smirk widened further and it frustrated Bonnie. "Are you always so aggressive?"

"Depends," snipped Bonnie as she rose to her feet. "I've died several times and made quite a few enemies in my life so I'm not particularly good when it comes to social interactions anymore."

"You should learn to relax." Lily approached and Bonnie watched her carefully, side-stepping the woman as she got closer to her. "Being so tightly wound up like that can't be good for your back."

Bonnie scoffed slightly. "Well, I'd relax _better_ knowing that a serial murderer wasn't running free."

Lily pivoted on her heels, standing opposite of Bonnie from her grandmother's headstone. "Is that what you think I am?"

"It's what I _know_ you are." She rested a hand on her hip. "It seems your sons picked up your penchant for killing. You should be proud."

The vampire's eyes narrowed at Bonnie, but she didn't even flinch. She'd been on the receiving end of many a vampire's wrath - including an Original. One more wasn't going to scare her.

"Such rude behavior. And right over your grandmother's grave, no less. What would she say if she saw you now, I wonder?"

At this, Bonnie laughed outright. Was this woman trying to play on her emotions? Did she think that others hadn't tried it already with her? Well, Lily Salvatore was just shit out of luck.

"She'd fuss at me for not taking out the garbage." Bonnie saw the veins pop below Lily's eyes and her smile instantly fell. Pushing her magic forward, she watched Lily suddenly cry out in pain, her hands going to her temples as she tried to suppress the agony of her blood vessels exploding in her brain. "Don't try me, Lily. I don't know what your sons told you about me, but I am _not_ the one."

After a few more seconds, she released the vampire and she watched Lily gasping for air. The woman glared at her and there was a logical part of her mind that was telling Bonnie to tread lightly. But with all the other problems going on in her mind, she couldn't be bothered. Not right now.

"I want...my family," breathed Lily angrily.

"You have your sons here," said Bonnie with a dismissive wave. "What more do you need?"

"Give me The Ascendant, Bennett Witch!"

"Over my dead body."

Lily smirked despite the residual agony that was still blossoming in her brain. "That...can be arranged."

Suddenly Lily blurred from existence and Bonnie took a step back. Her hands were already extended, but before she could punch the vampire with her magic, she saw Lily flying over several headstones and landed with grunt. Bonnie's eyes widened and she turned around to see Kai approaching them from around the bend. Clad in a vintage t-shirt and dark jeans, his Converse slid along the grass as if he were gliding over the blades. Lily scrambled to her feet, attempting another bum rush but was stopped dead in her tracks as Kai held his hand up.

Once he was side by side with Bonnie, he sighed while looking down at her. "I swear, I can't leave you alone for one hour, can I?"

Bonnie's cheeks flushed as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Kai, what are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," came his easy response. "Hold that thought though?" Kai looked back at Lily and then swiveled his hand with a flick of his wrist - a satisfied look crossing his features as he snapped Lily's neck and watched her fall to the ground. "Man, that _never_ gets old!"

"Jesus!" she said, flinching and looking away.

Kai shrugged. "You should really learn to just snap their necks, Bonster. It's more efficient. I mean, just look at that, would you?" He gestured with both hands down to Lily who was completely incapacitated. "Once you get what you need from them, just _boom,_ go for it."

She could only look up at him with wide-eyed disbelief. "...are you serious?"

"What? Never snapped a blood sucker's neck before? Oh, Bon, you are missing _out_." He laughed. "It's therapeutic. You should try it sometime. Like the next time Damon pisses you off, just snap his neck." He emphasized the word "snap" with an actual snap of his fingers.

"You're unbelievable."

"No, you're just averse to the idea of snapping a person's neck." Kai held his hand out to Bonnie expectantly. "Gimme."

She raised her brows. "Give you what?"

"Your phone. Gimme." He curled his fingers into a fist and re-opened them - like a toddler demanding for a toy or a treat.

"Why?"

"Just give it to me, woman."

Bonnie growled in frustration. "Fine." She fished into the pocket of her denim jacket and handed him her cell phone. "There! Happy?"

"Very," he said, a shit-eating grin on his face. He swiped across the screen and seemed to have found the person she was looking for since he pressed the phone to his face. After a few rings, someone finally answered. "Hey Old Man? Mind coming to the cemetery to pick up your mom?" Bonnie heard a noise akin to outrage from the other line. "I don't know how she got here. I don't care, to be completely honest. All I know is that your mom attacked Bonnie and, well, we can both agree that that is just unacceptable, right? Unless that's a thing you Salvatores do? Attack unsuspecting civilians in graveyards. Is that your M.O. these days?" Kai held the phone away from his face when more shouting ensued. After a few seconds, he opened one eye and handed it off to Bonnie - slipping a finger into his ear in a grossly exaggerated show of his ear itching.

"Hello?"

 _"Bonnie, what the hell?!"_ shouted Damon and Bonnie had to resist the urge to crush her phone.

"Yeah, that's what I was wondering. _What the hell_ is your mother doing harassing me when I'm trying to pay respects to my Grams?"

 _"What'd she want with you?"_

"The Ascendant," she snapped. "What other reason would she have to seek me out?"

 _"Did you give it to her?"_

"Hell no!" She paused, running her hand through her hair. "Oh, and I'm fine, by the way. Thanks for asking."

There was a heavy sigh on the other end. _"Are you hurt?"_

"I said _I'm fine_."

 _"Why is Kai with you anyway?"_

"Oh my God, are you serious right now?"

 _"Doesn't that little shit have a coven to lead or something? You know, back in Portland?"_

Bonnie looked at Kai who had been staring off into space until just then. It was like he could sense when she was looking at him. But Damon brought up a good point. Why in the world _was_ Kai still in Mystic Falls now that he'd successfully merged with his brother and had his own magic? He was the official Gemini Coven leader. She remembered him mentioning a coronation so wasn't that something he needed to be getting ready for?

 _"Bon?"_

"Look, get better control of your mother. The next time she comes after the Ascendant, I'm burying her alive."

Kai nudged her shoulder and she turned to look up at him. He gestured with his chin toward Lily who was slowly starting to move. Bonnie raised her brows, silently asking him what he wanted and he gave her a pointed look. Shaking her head, she lifted up her hand and twisted her wrist with an elegant flick and only slightly cringed when she heard Lily's neck snap. The vampire's body jerked similarly with how Damon's had and she blinked at how effortless it was.

"She is determined to get that dysfunctional family of hers back and you already know why I'm against it."

 _"Bonnie, listen-"_

"Damon! Wrangle your mother. You or Stefan, I don't care, but just get a handle on it!"

She hung up the phone, resisting the urge to just chuck it across the cemetery and never look at it again. Or set it on fire. Or just have it explode into a thousand pieces. At this point, she didn't even care anymore.

So focused on her anger, she wasn't aware that Kai was mere inches from her face and she jumped back slightly. He was peering at her curiously before his smile spread across his lips. "See? Didn't that feel great?"

A laugh escaped despite herself and she pushed Kai's face back away from her. "Shut-up." She shook her head, resting her hands on her hips. "Seriously, what are you doing here?"

"I told you. I came looking for you when you weren't at home."

"But why? You could have just waited for me. And I hate to say it, but Damon brought up a good point." She waited for his eye rolling to finish up before continuing. "Why _are_ you still here and not in Portland? Don't you have to get ready for that coronation...thing?"

"That's actually why I came to see you." She tilted her head slightly, clearly curious. He leaned forward again which, again, made her lean back a margin. He really needed to stop crowding her space like that. "You wanna come with me?"

"What?"

"Come on! It'll be fun!" There it went again - that deja vu. "Besides, what reason do you have to stick around here anyway? Hm? You already decided to not worry about school till the upcoming Fall semester so come on!"

Bonnie shook her head, trying to put together everything he was saying. It was true. She had decided to just not worry about school and say that she'd dropped out for a year because she'd missed too much time being in the 1994 prison world. Coupled with the fact that she'd spent over a month in the 1903 one trying to get Kai out, there was just no way she could catch up. No matter how much Elena and Caroline insisted they could compel the entire Whitmore staff to allow it.

"Besides," he said, cutting across her thoughts. "It'll get you _and_ the Ascendant far away from Lily's grubby little vampire claws. For a little while, anyway. You'll also have more protection seeing as there are more witches around in Portland in case any blood suckers get any funny ideas."

And really, that's all the reason he had to give her.

"When do we leave?"

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon - Three Days Later ~_

To say that Kai was surprised that Bonnie was sitting next to him in a cab once they landed at the airport in Portland would have been an understatement. He was practically over the moon, but it was mostly because he was just shocked that she'd agreed to come with him at all. The invitation had been extended, of course, because he knew he had to get back to Portland to deal with Coven affairs. Those could only be avoided for so long. But once back in Portland (and after securing his leadership position through officiated means), there was a good chance he'd be able to obtain all the research information and means to destroy the 1903 Ascendant.

And Bonnie being there with him was just an added bonus.

They pulled up to a hotel and Kai unloaded their luggage - just a couple of duffel bags - and he checked them in for the weekend. Bonnie, ever inquisitive, was wondering why he was checking them _both_ in and he simply stated that it would be more comfortable for the both of them if he didn't have to sleep in his old house in Portland. Too many bad memories and he didn't want to leave Bonnie alone in a place she'd only ever been when there weren't thousands of people milling about. He didn't really give her much room to argue with him - his logic was too sound.

When they entered their room, Bonnie eyed the California king bed in the center of the suite as Kai shut the door and set their bags down on the floor. He already knew she was about to start but decided to let her go ahead anyway. Because it was just inevitable when it came to her.

"One bed?" She turned to look at him and he shrugged. "Really, Kai?"

"What? You act like we've never slept in the same bed before." He took a step forward, getting in her space like he enjoyed doing, and took note of how her green eyes sparkled with something. "Or that we haven't slept in the same bed for the last couple of weeks."

Bonnie made a disgusted noise and Kai laughed, unable to help himself. "I wish you'd stop bringing that up."

"And I wish you'd stop trying to run away from it," he said as he cut off her path and grabbed her by the waist. In just a few short strides, he was already pinning her back to the wall, unable to hide the arousal he felt when she gasped and looked at him. "Didn't you agree to let me in?"

Her hands slid up his arms, gripping his shoulders as she tried to wriggle free. "We need to go slow. This is too fast!" Kai pressed forward, his face dipping down to the crook of her neck and he relished in the soft dusting of her perfume. He could feel her heartbeat against his lips. "Why do you always have to be so damn-"

"Determined?"

"Persistent!"

Kai laughed, then growled into her neck softly before nipping at her shoulder. "Can't help it." He kissed her neck again and felt his muscles flex at the soft sigh he heard her give him. "You drive me crazy."

Again, she tried to fight him off. But it wasn't going to work unless she blasted him with a spell. He had a feeling Bonnie knew that too. Kai silently prayed that she wouldn't, though.

"Kai, I'm tired," Bonnie whined as he trailed his hands up her waist and under the hem of her shirt, wanting to touch her skin. "We had a long flight." She smacked his arm and he laughed, growling playfully into her neck before pulling back to look at her irritated expression - though he did catch a ghost of a smile on her face. "Aren't you tired?!"

"I am," he said, quickly pecking her lips and grinning as she blinked rapidly at him. "Pretty wiped, actually."

"Then shower and go to sleep." Bonnie said this through clenched teeth and he shrugged, leaning in to press his forehead against hers. His hands slid further up her sides, relishing just how soft her skin was, before he grazed the lace of her bra. He grinned, noting how her breath hitched and he scraped his nails along the fabric. " _Kai._ "

" _Fine,_ " he murmured, pulling his hands away and taking a step back. He pouted, watching her chest rise and fall slowly and Kai contemplated towering over her again so he could steal her breath away. He loved knowing he had that effect on her. "You shower first. I've got some calls to make."

Bonnie pushed past him, kicking off her shoes in the corner. "Calls?"

He watched her dip into the bathroom, gathering one of the large, plush towels against her chest. "Gotta let my old man know I'm here and to not try anything stupid. Gotta cash in on some favors too."

"Do I even want to know?"

"I dunno," Kai threw back, waggling his brows playfully. " _Do you_ wanna know?"

"Nope," came her quick response before she pulled the door to the bathroom closed behind her.

"Didn't think so." He heard the water running for the shower, pulling out his cell and making his way toward the balcony. "We're going out for dinner so pick out something nice."

"Where are we going?" she called from the other side of the door.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out."

"I hate you."

Kai laughed as he slid the glass door open and stepped outside. If he had five bucks for every time she said that, he'd never have to work a day in his life for the rest of his days. Not that he actually needed to now, but the point was still driven home in his mind.

Scrolling through his contacts, he immediately dialed his father's number. After a few short rings, he heard his father's voice on the other line and there was a momentary flash of anger that exploded in his chest. God, that man still made him so angry after it was all said and done. He took a moment to collect himself, taking a few deep breaths to settle his rising anger.

 _"Is this a courtesy call or is there a reason you're contacting me, Malachai?"_

"Please don't play dumb. It's not your style." Kai slid the glass door shut behind him. "You know why I'm calling."

 _"Yes, I've already been informed by our scouts of your arrival. And I heard that you didn't come alone."_

"Why would I risk coming here alone when you are probably already cooking up a scheme to send me off to some other prison world?"

There was a slightly exasperated sigh heard on the other line. _"You are the new coven leader, Malachai. Why would I put your life in jeopardy when the livelihood of the entire coven is hinged on your being alive?"_

"Oh I dunno," Kai mused, waving his hand back and forth. "Maybe because you've probably contemplated sticking me in another dimension until Jo's kids are old enough to merge." He paused. "Because the livelihood of the entire coven is hinged on me being alive." Kai repeated his father's words, an edge of mocking near the tail end of them. He wasn't stupid.

 _"Malachai-"_

"Don't act like you haven't considered it."

 _"I... **had** considered it, yes. But I wouldn't go to such lengths if you weren't so unstable."_

"Oh, bullshit," Kai snapped. "You never thought I was good enough. Not once."

 _"Are you seeking validation?"_

Kai scoffed and then rolled his eyes. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? For me to come begging for your recognition. Well you're about thirty years too late, I'm afraid. Gave all that up when I was still a kid."

There was a long pause from both of them. Kai attempted to steady his breathing and he could hear that his father was probably doing the same, but for different reasons. He knew that his father was still afraid of him - of what he was capable of. As he should. But he'd already told both Bonnie and Jo that he wouldn't go after Joshua so long as his father didn't try to strike him first. Once he did, all bets were off. _All of them._

 _"She cannot come."_

One brow rose on Kai's face. "Excuse me?"

 _"Miss Bennett cannot come to your coronation as the new Gemini Coven Leader."_

Kai laughed at the incredulous statement. "On whose authority?"

His father gave another sigh. _"Miss Bennett is an outsider,"_ his father said easily. _"This is a long-standing Gemini tradition. You know this, Malachai. She cannot be allowed to attend."_

"And as the new coven leader, I plan on making some changes. _That rule_ being one of them."

 _"Coven leader or not, do not test The Elders, Malachai."_

He smirked. "You should be telling them not to test _me_ , Dad."

 _"If Sheila Bennett knew you were fraternizing with her granddaughter-"_

"Don't," snapped Kai, his eyes narrowing savagely. "Don't you _dare_ bring up her name like you were old buddies, old pals." His grip on the phone tightened. "You don't get to tarnish her memory like that. _Not_ you."

Kai heard his father clicking his tongue to the roof of his mouth a few times, causing his anger to spike even further. _"Well, well... Color me impressed. To think you hid that side of yourself after all these years."_ He took a slow breath as he imagined that smug look on his father's face. _"I'm surprised she had that much of an impact on you. It wasn't like she was here for very long. Tell me, is Miss Bennett **aware** of your history with her grandmother?"_

Dark laughter spilled forth from his chest. "She'll know when I'm ready to tell her," he warned. "And not a minute before that. You got it?"

He heard his father give a low chuckle which made Kai clench his jaw. _"Don't worry, Son. I'll stay away from her."_ Kai could hear the unspoken "For now" at the end and this made his chest screw up in knots. _"When shall we be expecting you? Tomorrow, I assume?"_

"Tomorrow."

 _"Everything will be prepared for your arrival."_ There was a pregnant pause and Kai couldn't ignore the choking feeling he was failing to smother out. _" **If** you're insisting on having Miss Bennett present, I'm going to have to stress that she cannot be privy to the ceremony. This is not negotiable."_

Kai knew he wasn't going to get a better deal out of his father. Not over this. Not from the man who cared more about the coven and his image than his own family. Pressing further would only cause more problems. Not for himself, but for Bonnie. That was unacceptable to Kai.

"Fine."

 _"I will see you tomorrow then, Son."_

He hung up the phone, slipping it into his pocket and turned around - his heart jumping in his throat at seeing Bonnie on the other side of the glass with a very worried look on her face. Attempting to collect himself, Kai slid the door open and cleared his throat as Bonnie stepped back to allow him entrance. She was clad in just a towel, tucked securely near her left breast, while the rest draped down her shining skin just above her knees. Hair still wet, it was slicked back and away from her face - giving her a _femme fatale_ sort of edge and awakening a kink he didn't even realize he'd had.

Kai flashed her his trademark smile, his eyes roving over her form provocatively. "Did you have a nice shower?"

Her brows furrowed further. "Is everything alright?"

Of course she'd answer his question with a question. But he'd been merely trying to deflect. "What do you mean?"

"You had this really scary look on your face," breathed Bonnie and she bit her lower lip, folding her arms across her chest which caused the swell of her bosom to enhance. Kai kept his eyes up, however, because he wasn't an animal. At least not yet. He'd don that mask later.

"How scary are we talking here?"

"Pretty scary. Like, 'I'm going to rip out someone's spine' scary."

"I would say that that is a fair assessment to what I was contemplating about thirty seconds ago, yes."

"And now?"

"Now?" Kai took a step forward, leaning in and causing Bonnie to, once again, take a step back. He huffed with irritation. He wished she would quit doing that. "Now I just want to rip this towel off of you."

Something flashed in Bonnie's green depths, a spark that always ignited the tinder that was ever-present inside of him. The woman drove him to near madness - a cliff that was far more harrowing than the one he'd leaped off of before murdering his siblings. This was a different form of crazy. One he didn't mind falling into forever and that thought freaked him out more than he would care to admit.

She held her hand up, pressing her palm against his chest in her attempt to block him. He wondered if she knew just how vain these attempts were. But Kai had to give her points for trying.

"Dinner-"

" _Can wait_ ," he stressed, dipping low enough to wrap his arms around her waist and pulled her straight into him. Her hands went up to his shoulders to stabilize herself but Kai was already hungrily capturing her lips into his own. Forget dinner. He'd eat her instead. Every single square inch of her would be devoured until he'd had his fill.

Breaking the kiss, Bonnie wriggled against him - further enticing him and he tightened his grip. Despite the hold he had on her and the hungry gaze he was no doubt giving her, she laughed. "Kai," she said mid-laugh. "We were on a plane for a million years and that crap they served on the flight doesn't constitute as food." She narrowed her eyes at him. "So no, it _can't._ "

He groaned, dipping his face into the crook of her neck and peppering kisses there for added measure. She giggled, trying to pull herself out of his arms again and, again, failing. She smelled like lavender and jasmines and Kai wanted to fall asleep to that smell - along with the warmth of her body next to his. There were a lot of things warring inside of him, but the main one was that lingering threat that his father had issued just before they'd hung up from each other. His fingers flexed against the plushness of the towel and he gently set Bonnie down, her arms bracing on his biceps as she peered up at him.

"Seriously, are you okay?" Kai hummed and nodded, brushing some of her wet hair back behind her ear. She didn't seem to think that was good enough, not that that was a surprise. "You know, we don't have to go out..."

At this, he shook his head. "Nope. None of this cooped up business. I'm taking you someplace nice and fancy and filling." He released his hold on Bonnie, spinning her around and gently shoving her forward to where their bags were.

He watched her take a few steps forward, her hand going up to secure the tuck in her towel before she glanced at him over her shoulder. "I mean, we don't have to go out if you're not comfortable, is all."

Kai blinked at her for a few seconds, wondering what she could have even meant by that. But then it dawned on him just what could actually be racing through her mind. He smirked, tilting his head slightly while looking her over.

Closing his eyes, he tilted his chin downward and he could see Bonnie's bare feet shifting on the floor. He folded his arms across his chest and sighed, then peered up at her with his boyish grin that he knew got on her nerves more than it did delight her. "Why, Bonnie Bennett," he said, gasping softly as he dramatically placed a hand on his hip. "Are you actually _worried_ about little old me?"

Bonnie scoffed, frowning slightly before rolling her eyes and turning away from him to grab up her duffel bag. "Oh my God, why do I bother?" Unzipping it, she began rifling through the bag for something nice to wear out. "Just shut-up and go shower already. I'm too hungry to deal with your level of stupid."

He chuckled, watching her grab her clothes and disappeared to the office area of the suite. She was beautiful, that went without saying. And even in something as risquè as a towel, she made it look charming and almost innocent. But he wasn't fooled. He knew what kind of magic simmered under that caramel skin and what dark purpose chimed behind those malachite orbs.

Everyone else might have seen Bonnie Bennett as this angel - this white-washed and seemingly pure individual who needed to be placed on a pedestal. But Kai knew how dark her mind could delve. He'd seen it time and again and she was even starting to show it more and more with each passing day. Some would lay the blame on him and that was fine. He'd take the hit. Because Kai knew what Bonnie was capable of and now, more than ever, she was done having people push her around for the sake of everyone else but herself. But despite all of that, she still wanted to care for someone - to show someone that they didn't have to suffer alone.

And that, to Kai, was what made Bonnie the sexiest person he'd ever met.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon ~_

Bonnie was so stuffed, she was sure she was going to bust out of the green and black laced dress she was currently in. Kai looked equally pleased with himself, having already shrugged out of the pin-stripe blazer he had been sporting over the light blue dress shirt and dark jeans. People would have peeked in on them and thought they were absolute gluttons and, to be fair, they probably were. Kai told her that she could order whatever she wanted off the menu and since he'd opted for Italian, she did just that: ordered an appetizer and two full course entrees. In twenty years, Bonnie's metabolism would flip her the bird but, until then, she was going to indulge until it came back to bite her in the ass.

"Dessert?" Kai asked, sitting up from his seat to pick up his glass of wine.

She looked at him as if he'd won the lottery and then said he was going to set fire to the money as soon as he got it. "Are you crazy?! How can you still be hungry?"

In mid-sip, he shook his hand back and forth. "To go, woman! To go!" He laughed and this caused Bonnie to laugh as well, though she immediately regretted it. Her sides were hurting from how full she was.

Sitting up, she held her side and peeked at the menu sheepishly. "Mm, in that case..."

"If you order anything _but_ the tiramisu, we're going to have to rethink our relationship, Bonster."

Holding up the menu, she hid her face so only her eyes were visible. "Oh? And what relationship would that be?"

She caught the smoldering gaze he was giving her and the air practically left her throat.

"We're friends," he said easily. Almost too easily. This had Bonnie's brows furrowing and she pouted behind the menu. He seemed to have caught this, his grin widening. "Maybe more. What do you think?"

"I think I'm going to order this dessert."

"Bonnie, come on," Kai said with a laugh, shaking his head. "We're already at the crossroads. May as well choose a direction." He leaned forward and this caused her to raise her brows, still hiding her face. She knew he could read her facial expressions too well and it bothered her because reading him was much more difficult. "Where do we go from here?"

"What do you mean?"

He leaned back in his chair. "I mean just that: Where do we go from here?"

She sighed. "I...I don't know. I mean, do we have to decide now? I think we're fine just the way we are now."

"Do you really believe that?"

"What else am I supposed to believe?" Bonnie slapped the menu back on the table.

Kai shrugged and it aggravated her. How could he be so lax about this when it was a subject that he, himself, had broached? She could have upturned the table on him.

"This snail's pace is for the dogs, Bon."

"What's wrong with going slow?" Was it so hard for him to grasp that concept? That sometimes just easing into something was better than impulsively plunging headfirst?

She hadn't even seen him move, but his hand grasped hers as it rest on the table and Bonnie jumped - blinking wildly at the rings on his hand and then trained her eye-line back up to his face. The look on his face had her holding her breath and she tried to pull her hand free, but his grip only tightened. Not in the dominating, controlling sort of way. But in a way that reiterated that he wasn't going anywhere. That he was just trying to reassure her that he was real.

And that terrified her.

"Bonnie, we're not like ordinary people. I know you may have wanted a nice, normal life for yourself once upon a time, but you're a Bennett. You're a witch and one of the most powerful ones I've ever met."

She rolled her eyes. "You were in a prison world for almost twenty years. How do you know?"

"You forget I was twenty-two when I got sent there? You think I didn't travel? Just because my father isolated me doesn't mean that I didn't get to go off on my own and do what I wanted." She gave him a pointed look and he grinned. "And being stuck in a frozen alternate dimension helps when you're wanting to learn. You learn to brush up on some things, like history and the basics."

"So?"

" _So,_ " he stressed, causing Bonnie's heart rate to speed up. She almost didn't like where this was going, but her curiosity was winning out over logic. "I know that your family, your coven, was one of the most powerful in the world. The Gemini and Bennett covens were allies once upon a time. I want to start my leadership off right. I want to rid it of all those archaic practices and traditions and those stupid rules that determined that the coven is more important than familial ties." His eyes narrowed, showcasing such sincerity that Bonnie wasn't sure she was going to be able to take much more of his honesty. She almost preferred him lying to her. "I'm going to tear it all down and build it back up the way it should have always been. We can't keep cow-towing to vampires and any other supernatural race that we come across that wants to barrel down our doors with demands. We are _witches_ Bonnie. If anyone should be walking on eggshells, it's them - not us."

Bonnie's eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. "That sounds more like you're proposing a dictatorship."

"No, I'm talking about forming alliances and making our numbers stronger. We've been pawns in their chess games long enough." He paused, pressing his lips together in a thin line as she watched him think about the next thing he was going to say. "It's time we turned the board over."

"Now it sounds like you're trying to pit me against my friends."

He sighed with aggravation and Bonnie couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face. "You only see it that way because you always try to see the negative of everything that comes out of my mouth."

"You don't make it hard not to."

"You make it too easy. Geez, and I thought _I_ was the cynical one."

She laughed outright, shaking her head and felt a warmth flow through her chest when Kai squeezed her hand again. "Ironic, isn't it?"

"Very." He paused, looking up at her before pulling her arm forward a bit more so that he could cover her knuckles with his other hand. "Listen to me, Bon. I'm asking you to trust me. I know it's a difficult concept for you to wrap your head around when it comes to me, but I want to believe we've made some progress over the last couple of months. You are a leader, Bonnie. It's what you were always meant to be, whether you realize it or not."

His words were not settling her nerves. At all.

"Kai?" Bonnie sucked in her bottom lip, trying to think of how to best phrase her next question. "...what are you planning?"

Just then, their waiter approached with the check. Kai released Bonnie's hands and she immediately folded them into her lap. Just as he was about to slip his credit card into the leather fold, she stuck her hand out. "Wait!" Both Kai and the waiter turned to look at her and she pouted. "What about dessert?"

The tension in Bonnie's chest ebbed only a fraction when she heard Kai laugh, ordering the tiramisu to go. But there was a part of her that was still so tightly wound up. And she couldn't shake that look that Kai had on his face when he'd gotten off the phone. She didn't know who he had been talking to, but she had a pretty good idea of who it could be. And now, more than ever, she was apprehensive about tomorrow's ceremony.

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _So, we made it guys! Another chapter finished! I'm trying to get to a decent lead-in and set a foundation before I start doing some REAL epic time jumping. Nothing too drastic, of course. But we're getting there guys, I promise. Also, we're gonna stay in the past for a little while longer. I'm sure you guys don't mind, right? Thank you everyone, SO MUCH, for all your kind words and support! Please continue to read, review and support me! I'm looking forward to this long journey with you all! Love you!_


	14. The Wild Youth

_~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon ~_

Today was the day.

This was it - this _could_ be it. It could either put everything he needed at his fingertips? Or it could blow up in his face. He kept thinking back to the conversation with his father. Kai stared up at the ceiling in the wee hours of the morning. His hands folded behind his head as the soft breathing of the Bennett Witch seemed to calm his frayed nerves. He wasn't one to believe in being nervous - but it had been a _long_ journey to this point.

He knew that it would be longer still after he accepted the mantle of Coven Leader. Bright blue eyes shifted to the soft rise and fall next to him. _Soon, Bon. I promise you won't have to worry about anything, soon._ He hadn't realized his fingertips were dancing along the curvy shape of her shoulder.

Everything was going to change today.

Bonnie made a small moan as she rolled onto her back. He paused his motions as she sighed and drifted back into deep sleep. Kai leaned up on an elbow and stared down into her face, slightly self-conscious that she could hear just how loudly his heart was drumming against his chest. _Dammit._

He could feel himself stirring under the sheets, for almost twenty minutes now. He tried to ignore it - but he couldn't ignore it, or her, or any open opportunity to have her. A wiggling shift of fingers dancing with magic as the sheet slid off her prone body. There was something slightly predatory in the way he lowered himself on the bed. He threw the sheet off of himself, quietly, carefully shifting until he maneuvered between her legs. Kai's lips parted as he inhaled her scent. She would have to yell at him later.

He needed her - needed this to chase the creeping shadows off. Maybe he'd be brave enough to tell her that she provided strength for him? Maybe, but for now? A flick of his tongue against her inner thigh and a soft sound of pleasure from him. He had a good grip on her, holding her where he wanted her. The tentative, slow drag of his tongue against her sex caused him to stir.

Kai took his time as he buried his face between her legs. His breath hot as his tongue wiggled against those folds of flesh. His lips brushed against her clit once, twice. Deviating away to bring her to a slow rolling wake.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Pleasure crept across Bonnie's body, the cool morning air ghosting along her bare skin that was misted over with heat. An electric charge raced up her back, subtle as a soft vibration roused her from her slumber. Her heartbeat drummed along her ribs and she could swear that her hearing was muffled from the last, thick blanket of sleep that still coated her consciousness. Torn between remaining asleep and awake, the next shock wave of pleasure zipped from her back to the tips of her toes and her arms were moving before she was even fully awake.

The smothered sounds of her moans finally reached her mind, causing the fog of sleepiness to lift and Bonnie realized she was biting her lower lip again. Had she been fighting off another nightmare? Had another one tried to push its way through to her senses, forcing her to wake up before she was trapped in it?

Squinting against the sunlight that pooled in from the large bay windows, she mentally cursed at Kai for not having drawn the curtains last night before they'd turned in for bed. Bonnie's eyelids fluttered softly, pulling her fully into the light and from the dark entrapment of sleep. Her hands smoothed down her stomach, which she soon realized was bare, and was about to turn over to fuss at Kai to pull the curtains closed when her hands touched something. Looking down, her eyes traveled down to see that her fingers were lost in the dark flow of Kai's hair.

Bonnie gasped, seeing Kai's head resting along her exposed hipbone and his large body nestled comfortably between her legs. Her thighs were cradled delicately between the crooks of his elbows and she let out a barely contained sigh as his fingers dug into the apex of her inner thighs - her magic singing a chorus of desire under his touch. His nose brushed against her, so softly and so quietly, that Bonnie could barely discern if she was dreaming or awake. But the moment his breath touched her clit, she jerked her hips up - the movement fully pulling her out of her semi-sleepy state.

"Kai," came her raspy voice, still laced thick with sleep. She felt his grip tighten against her thighs, causing another moan to spill out from her.

She gasped again, grabbing at his hair. Bonnie called his name more fervently and he held her down with more determination against her resistance. "Good morning, sleepyhead." A tongue flicked against her clit again as dark eyes stared up the length of her body.

She jerked again when he ran his tongue along her folds, touching her bud and Bonnie let a cry stay trapped in her throat. She should have known that this would happen soon. Kai only had so much patience and the fact that he'd kept his hands to himself for this long was already a God-given miracle. Then again, she could have said the same for herself. Kai was hot. There was no denying that. Even when he had that fresh-faced look of his youthful, twenty-two year old self, she couldn't deny the sexual tension between them. Now that he'd swollen out, had a squarer jaw and just a dusting of scruff along his face?

Well, Bonnie would be hard-pressed to ignore his advances for too much longer.

She groaned, trying to wriggle against him but he was too strong - holding her in place like he knew she was going to make for an escape. The tease rumbling from his voice trembled along her skin and her fingers curled even tighter into his hair. A hum of pleasure was all she could give him as the sun slowly started to rise just over the cityscape in the downtown area they were staying at.

"M-Morning," Bonnie offered softly before she felt herself keening against him, rolling her hips up to seek out more of his touch.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"I thought..." Nibble. Lick. A bite to the inner thigh, trailing moisture from the crease of her thigh back. "...we could have breakfast in bed." The lewd noises and the rumble of a growl filled the room as she tugged at his hair, making him even harder if it were possible. He let his eyes roll shut as his tongue slid against that pretty pink bit of skin that he was becoming obsessed with. His fingers dug into her flesh as he let his lips fall gently over the quivering nub of her sex.

"Then I thought to myself..." His whole mouth covered her. He made out with those lower lips as if he was laying a last desperate kiss. As if they would never meet again. The suction was firm as his lips danced in a rapid tease over her clit. A finger teased the entrance to her body as he smiled up at her.

"...I already have the breakfast of champions sleeping right next to me." That finger slid in as Kai's mouth descended on her again. That finger and his mouth, both relentless and purposely pushing her over the edge. Ready and waiting for his tribute even at the cost of a few hairs from his scalp.

Kai was going to unmake her right in that bed. He was damned and determined to.

Her body was responding to his touch, feeling her magic awakening now that she was fully clutching to the height of her consciousness and this elicited another growl from him. He swirled his mouth against her folds and watched her eyes roll to the back of her head, forcing her to shut them tightly as she tried to close her legs around him - to push him away even though he knew her body clearly wanted none of that notion. Just as she was about to say something else, the words were lost to him as he descended down upon her again with his mouth - silencing whatever commentary or protests she was about to provide.

As his finger slipped into her again, a broken cry was all Bonnie could muster. She dragged him closer to her, her thighs trembling against his subtle thrusts and caresses. Kai wasn't sure if it was because he'd caught her off guard or that she was groggy from the morning but her orgasm came swiftly and she fought against his upper body pinning her down. Her hips bucked against him, and he smiled as he continued to devour her while his scruff scraped along her sensitive skin.

That broken cry was enough to fuel him onward.

Kai feasted on her as if she were the last thing he would ever consume. He kept her pinned and where he needed her, wanted her. He could feel the quiver in her thighs. He could feel the clench of muscles inside of her around his finger. And when it came? When _she_ came? He lapped at her until she descended from the heavens.

He waited for her to come down from her high. He watched as Bonnie slowly opened her eyes so she could look down at him - his body still wrapped up in her lower half. A lazy smile crossed her features and Kai felt something churning and twisting up into a knot in his stomach, her fingers loosening around his scalp so she could release his head. "Anyone tell you how cheesy your pick-up lines are?"

Their eyes met at the same time, and that boyish satisfied grin curved over moist lips. "Mmm. Sometimes you can't go wrong with the classics, Bon." Kai was too amused, and it showed in that glint in his eyes. Something else also showed as he finally moved from between her legs.

That smug look settled over his face as he tugged Bonnie down so her ass settled on the edge of the bed. He sprung up hard and throbbing between her legs. There was no need for any lubrication as he bumped against the moisture still lingering. The tip of his tongue settled over a tooth as he gave a small, shallow roll of his hips.

"And then again, you're just too delicious to pass up." That dark look. A possessive grip on her thighs. No more words as he pulled her full onto the length of him.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Bonnie's eyes went wide as he pulled her forward, her eyes falling on his erection. It was hard not to. His heat caused a prickling of goosebumps to break out along her skin and she barely managed to gasp when he plunged into her without abandon. There was no warning. There wasn't time. And all Bonnie could do was slap her hands around his wrists - nails digging into the pulse points and feeling their magic igniting between them.

Her body had to get adjusted to him again - having gone over a week without him inside, filling her to the point that she could barely breathe. Bonnie's legs quivered, her thighs resting along his hips and she could only wonder how he had this sort of energy so early in the morning. They had stayed up so late after dinner just talking, preparing for today. Even awake as she was now, her mind was still muddled from her previous orgasm not even two minutes earlier.

Even so, her body rocked forward - driving her hips into him in her need to get even closer if it was possible. A grunt and groan of pleasure was given to him before another moan rumbled against her ribs.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

He could feel the bubbling disturbance of his magic set to a raging boil. The way she looked at him? Didn't she know what that does for him? Did she realize the power that she had over him? She must have known because she wouldn't have looked at him like that. Not settled her eyes on him like that. Not grabbed and dug into his flesh like that.

He dove inside of her and she lifted her hips to capture him. "God, Bonnie..." He growled through clenched teeth as she rolled her hips against him again. Pulling him deeper inside of her. Like she was a one way portal and he'd be happy to go.

No. No, no. Not this time.

Kai leaned forward until her knees were pushed toward her chest. He nudged her upward on the bed with each thrust. He grabbed her by her shoulders and rolled them. Rolled them until he was on his back, beneath her. His hands settled over her knees to keep her in the proper _seated_ position.

"I'm all yours," Kai breathed. He moved his hands away letting them fall back against the bed as he stared up at her. Surrender. Complete and total surrender.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Kai was dive bombing straight from the sky and he was taking her with him. She had to fight back a wave of vertigo when he flipped her over and felt her knees sinking into the cushion of the mattress. The covers and sheet were long since forgotten, the pillows the only thing remaining on the bed as her hands fell forward and landed on his chest. Her loins clamped around him like a vice, pulling him further into her and Bonnie could feel the hum of their magic colliding as the bay windows rattled from the strength and power that possessed both of them.

"Kai," she murmured, half moaning as she opened one eye to look at him. Sweat tinged her brow, her skin shining softly as she saw his own pectorals glistening with sweat. The heat from the sun was beating down on them. Or was it their magic? All she knew was that if they kept this up, the hotel room wasn't going to make it.

And, as if on cue, the bulb from one of the light sconces shattered just as she rolled her hips into Kai again, her eyes squeezing shut from the oncoming shrapnel - causing every muscle in her body to clench. But when she opened them, she saw the pieces suspended in mid-air and she looked down at Kai - suspecting that a wild expression was dancing in her eyes.

She grinded into him without any warning.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

He could feel it again, that flare of power as their magic began that dangerous dance. He knew that she was starting to come to life. He could feel his own power reaching for her. That half murmured voice as she began to lose herself. Kai watched her with his lips parted, hands grabbing into the sheets.

He didn't want to touch her. He did, but he didn't.

He wanted her to use her own power. To find her own strength. To feel her power and beauty.

Kai wasn't going to make it.

The glass shattered and time froze as she clenched above him. The veins protruded from his neck as he felt that squeeze from the tip of his toes to the top of his head. He felt like the air was leaving his lungs - abandoning him and leaving Kai to his fate.

The world was silent and still when she opened her eyes. There was a moment of curiosity as the wild look in her eyes shook him to his core. Kai was almost prepared to say her name. To question her well-being and then she robbed him of all sense. She rolled her hips and snatched his soul.

He _definitely_ wasn't going to make it.

Another light bulb shattered as a sound filled the room. It took him a moment to realize that the sound was _him_. Kai bucked under her as his toes curled and dug into the mattress. The orgasm was shockingly swift as his eyes widened in surprise. The ferocity of it had him tearing at the sheets to keep from marring her skin, even though he wanted nothing more than to fuel his need to touch her; to bruise and mark her. He screamed her name as she rode him through the vicious wave of pleasure that sent his eyeballs rolling into his skull.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Bonnie rocked into him without abandon - filling herself with him to the base and then raising up only to slam into him again. Each time she felt Kai plunge into her, she lost her senses and felt like she was going to collapse right on top of him. Her eyes shut, her breath coming out in short puffs of air as her fingers dipped into his chest and she could have sworn if she were a cat, her nails would have torn right into him.

She wanted that closeness. That fullness. Her body rocked back and forth, her magic soaring to new heights that she never thought possible. When the second light exploded, Bonnie was only barely aware of the light cuts along her shoulders and neck. There was a sharp sting just below her left eye and she could feel a sliver of blood weeping from the tiny wound.

Hearing Kai's scream, to hear her name tearing through the space that encompassed them, sent Bonnie careening over the edge. Her back arched, the ripple of her orgasm running down her spine and with the final thrust that Kai gave from beneath her, Bonnie let her magic completely go. It exploded against them. Around them. _Through them_ until a sudden pulse burst forth and caused the bay window to spider crack and then explode. She gasped sharply, feeling some of the shrapnel grab at her shoulder blades and Bonnie immediately threw her body over Kai's to shield him - the cool morning air washing over them like a hurricane.

When it finally subsided and Bonnie was able to catch her breath, feeling him still buried inside of her, she lifted herself up on shaky arms on either side of his neck to look over his face. "...are you alright?"

Kai grunted, his brows furrowing severely as she watched him get a wrangle on something. A languid smile crossed his features and Bonnie couldn't help but smile in return. "You know how to wear a guy out," he murmured.

But when he finally did open his eyes, the smile immediately disappeared. Kai sat up quickly, bumping into her chest as his hands cupped her neck and tilted her head slightly as he seemed to be inspecting her. She blinked, confusion crossing her features and she only barely winced when his thumb grazed along the small cut beneath her eye. She watched his eyes dart to the destroyed window, his hands moving from her neck to rest at the small of her back so he could lift her off of him.

When he pulled her up, Bonnie let out a painful cry that was quickly clipped when she clamped her jaws shut. Her eyes met Kai's gaze, his expression darkening further with concern. He pulled her against his chest so that he could dip his head over her shoulder and against the crook of her neck.

"Jesus, Bonnie!" His voice sounded upset, intermingled with something akin to guilt.

"It looks worse than it feels," Bonnie said, trying to reassure him that it wasn't his fault. It was just their magic. Something they clearly needed to get a better hold of in these instances.

Kai cradled her in his arms, gently rolling her over onto her side before pulling out of her. The absence of him caused her to gasp softly, her hand curling into a fist against the fabric of the mattress cover as he gingerly moved her again to lay out on her stomach. She heard him sucking in air through his teeth, his hands slightly trembling along her skin before feeling his fingers deftly moving along her body.

Each time Kai pulled out a piece of glass, she felt her face scrunching up involuntarily. He was throwing the slightly bloodied pieces on the ground and off the bed. After a few more minutes of careful work, she was about to sit up but he placed his hand between her shoulder blades to keep her on the bed.

"Kai?"

"Shh. Be still." The command was firm and she nodded while waiting for him to continue. " _Cura._ "

A sharp noise pushed from her chest and lodged itself at the back of her throat. Bonnie could feel her skin fusing back together as the acute pain fell to a dull ache along her back. He then flipped her over and then lifted her up by her neck, his gray-blue eyes dancing between her own. Kai then placed his hand over the cut on her cheek, murmuring the healing spell again, and then his palm slid down the crook of her neck and over her collar - the magic seeping into her and healing the damage that had been caused.

He leaned back, appraising her and Bonnie felt a flush creeping up her neck and all the way up her face. "Don't do that again."

Bonnie canted her head to the side. "Do what?"

"Don't shield me like that again, Bonnie," he said, his voice very serious and she could only part her lips with surprise. "Call me old fashioned, but I'm comfortable enough in my masculinity to take some damage."

She frowned. "Oh really?"

" _Yes_ , really," Kai stressed, his eyes narrowing as he brushed her disheveled hair out of her face. "I tell you I'm not going to hurt you and then you go off and get hurt in front of me. I could've taken the hit."

"It was just a few cuts, calm down." Bonnie rolled her eyes, gathering her legs up under her. "It wasn't anyone's fault. It was just a freaky magical accident."

"I don't care, Bonnie!" he bellowed and this had her reeling back just a fraction from him. She had seen his anger before. Had even been on the receiving end of it but this? This was different. "I am not okay with anything happening to you - with you getting hurt. I don't care how minor it is."

"Okay, okay! Geez," she breathed, barely containing the smirk that was threatening to break her serious expression. "So _dramatic._ "

Kai gave a nervous laugh that melted into one of pure relief before he shook his head, running his hand through his hair before he poked at her cheek. "Woman, you drive me crazy."

"And now you know how I feel _all the time_ with you." She patted his chest a couple of times. "Today's your big day, remember? You need to loosen up. _Relax_."

"Good idea."

He flopped back onto the bed, taking her with him and she let out a squeal of protest before dissolving into a small fit of laughter. Bonnie saw the grin forming on his face and felt the knots in her chest loosen - his earlier outburst just a lingering afterthought. His hand trailed down over her side before grasping at the back of her thigh and hitching it up and over his hip. He kept his fingers curled behind her knee, his hand snaking under her neck and pulling her closer to him.

Bonnie was thoroughly spent, but just as her eyes started getting heavy with sleep, the wrecked room brought her quickly back to reality and she gently bumped the back of her knuckles against his chest. "Kai."

"Hmm?"

"The room."

"What about it?"

"It's a wreck, that's what."

Eyes still closed, Kai's hand lifted off her leg and he held it up in the air, twirling his arm around in one full circle and Bonnie watched with wonder as the room began to magically put itself back together. He then reached down past her knees and wiggled his fingers, summoning the sheet and blanket back up onto the bed. Bonnie blinked and then laughed when the soft material fell against her bare skin just at the waist.

"You really like having magic, don't you?"

He opened one gray-blue eye to look directly at her. "Wrong," he answered, closing his eyes again. "I _love_ having magic. Makes shit so much easier to deal with."

She huffed a breathy scoff that melted into a laugh. "Or makes you lazy."

This time he opened both of his eyes. "Wrong again." His hand slid back under the covers, looping his arm around her waist and drawing her closer so that she had no choice but to hold her breath for a moment. "Do you know how essential it is to have control of your magic, no matter how minor a spell? Repetition breeds habits and when you can conjure magic as easily as it is to breathe, that's when you know you're a force to be reckoned with."

Bonnie's brows raised a fraction. "Yeah?"

Kai hummed and gave a nod. "You didn't know that?" She shook her head and he smiled almost in disbelief. "For real? You were constantly on your guard back in my prison world and you definitely kept me on my toes. Your spells were always at the ready - your magic was _alive_ and ever present." He leaned forward so that their noses were barely touching. "Tell me something. When you were in my prison world and we were constantly battling it out, before you sent your magic away, did you ever once feel out of control of your power? Did you ever experience any light-headedness?"

Her eyes narrowed playfully. "When you shot me with an arrow."

"I stand by what I said: you attacked me first." She rolled her eyes and he gripped her waist to bring her back into focus. "But seriously, did you? Did you ever _once_ have a nose bleed from overexerting yourself?"

Bonnie's lips parted slightly, her brows cinching as she reflected on what he said. Now that she thought about it, not _once_ did she experience the light-headed feeling from overusing her magic. She didn't have a single nose bleed the entire time she was there from the moment her magic had been reawakened. A few seconds passed and her gaze locked onto Kai's - noting the waiting expression dancing on his features. But she knew he already knew the answer. He was just presenting the question for her to analyze, break apart, and decipher for herself.

Her hand moved toward her face, pressing her fingers against her lips as she let her eye-line fall down to Kai's Adam's apple. "...oh my God."

"Exactly." Kai pulled her closer, nestling his nose into the curve of her neck and shoulder just under the dip where her head should have been hitting the pillow. "You're more powerful than you give yourself credit for."

She couldn't help but feel the heat rising to her cheeks, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Bonnie had always believed herself to be a little under snuff when it came to her magic. But she had no one to teach her the things she had needed to grow. Unlike Kai, she didn't grow up around a community of witches. And even though he had been isolated, Kai at least had learned the basics and forced himself to study hard so when The Merge came, he would be able to claim what he believed was his birthright. The Gemini and their ways were a bit twisted, but Bonnie could at least see past that and appreciate what it meant to grow up knowing what being a witch was and learning early on in life how to control one's abilities.

Despite how much she loved her Grams, Bonnie was still slightly resentful that it had been hidden from her for such a long time. When Kai had been her age when she'd first unlocked her magic, he was probably already leagues ahead of her. Capable of doing spells and understanding enchantments that had taken Bonnie years to understand and grasp. It probably would have taken her longer had it not been for the influences of Atticus Shane, Silas or even her own ancestor, Qetsiyah.

"You're still green around the ears though," rumbled Kai's voice, sending tiny shivers down her body. Bonnie frowned and he must have felt it against his face because he responded with a sleepy chuckle. "Don't worry Bonster. I'll teach you whatever you want to know. Promise."

"I hate you," she scoffed, eliciting another chuckle from him that shook both her and the bed. Feeling him yawn against her neck, Bonnie tried to suppress her own and she eyed the time. It was half past seven. "Now sleep. You have a long day ahead of you."

"You too."

"Yes, me too."

Stretching her arm out under the bulk of his own draped over her, Bonnie reached his back and began trailing her nails up and down his spine. She felt him relax even further into her if it were possible and he puffed out a breath of air along her skin. Heaviness was falling against her lids as Kai hummed with appreciation along her neck.

"That feels good," he murmured and she could feel his heart beat evening out.

"Sleep." Her voice was a soft whisper and soon darkness overtook her - the sound of Kai's steady breathing the last thing she heard before fading out.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon ~_

After lying in bed for a few more hours, Kai roused and had been tempted to let Bonnie sleep. She seemed wiped from the flight and all the activity so late in the evening. Having thoroughly drained her of energy in the morning (and vice versa), he was going to get up and see about scrounging up some lunch for them. At the mention of food, however, Bonnie was already grappling him so that he wouldn't scurry away without her. Kai urged her to shower, pouting when she'd declined to let him join her, and waited his turn.

Changing into a pair of black jeans and a dark gray v-neck shirt, he slid on a dark blue, zip-up hoodie. By the time he had finished up, Bonnie was stepping out of the bathroom dressed in a pair of faded skinny jeans, a soft yellow tank top and black kitten heels. She hadn't even noticed him looking her over until her arms slid through the denim jacket and their eyes met.

"What?"

"Hm?" Kai asked, half aware of her even talking to him.

Bonnie crossed the room over to him and he couldn't stop the smile from breaking across his face as her green eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He laughed. "If I told you, we'd be stuck here another hour and then we'd have to shower all over again."

"Perv," Bonnie muttered and Kai laughed again as he brushed her hair back out of her eyes.

"Can you blame me?" Reaching down to take her hand in his, he tugged her along. "Ready?"

Her hand reached out to snag her purse as he continued to pull her to the door. "So damn pushy."

They made their way down the long corridor and stopped in front of the elevator, slipping inside and it only took them a few short minutes to reach the lobby. Thankfully it wasn't overly crowded despite it being a weekend. He suspected the out of town witches attending the ceremony that evening would be staying at other homes or checking into less extravagant lodgings. Kai was a sucker for the good things since he spent the better part of eighteen years not paying for anything. Some would say that he had lessened the monetary value of currency by conjuring his own money for a time, but Kai would simply say that he was doing his duty as a witch.

After all, money was just fancy colored paper and complicatedly crafted coins.

Once they made their way to the strip, which was just a few blocks from their hotel, Kai pulled them toward a few options for eating. Even though he wouldn't say it out loud, he was anxious about the day. His father's words reverberated in the back of his head and he couldn't help but wonder what all would be waiting for him when he got to the ritual site. Bonnie would not be able to attend the ceremony itself, but just having her presence on the grounds would be enough for Kai. It was enough to at least ease the growing tension that was settling into the pit of his gut.

Bonnie tugged at his arm, pulling him out of his thoughts and she pointed to a large sign - _Deschutes Brewery -_ and Kai couldn't help but laugh. He had to admit, she'd picked a good spot but he had a sneaking suspicion the reason she wanted in was because of the word "brewery". Letting her inside, Bonnie chose a place by the window facing the street and he sat across from her - menus already being brought out.

Once their order had been placed, he noticed Bonnie drumming her nails along the table while looking out the window and Kai quirked a brow at her. "Something on your mind?"

Her fingers ceased their movements and she looked back at him. "I just..." Kai watched her biting her lower lip in thought before she shook her head. "No, it's nothing."

"Tell me."

"It's nothing."

"Bonnie."

She groaned, running her fingers through her hair and then letting her hands clasp at the back of her neck as she stretched her body back. "I just haven't been around a group of witches in a long time." Bonnie laughed, shaking her head - a look of both worry and amusement stretching across her features. "I don't even know what the protocol is for this sort of thing."

"Don't worry about that," Kai replied easily, waving his hand back and forth when their waters and beers were placed in front of him. "All you have to do is show up and you'll get the royal treatment."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you will," he reassured. He gave her a wink and Bonnie huffed, clearly not liking how easy it was for him to respond to her concerns and questions. "Listen, if your Grams was still around, I would have a few choice words for that woman."

Bonnie scoffed, her lips hovering just above the rim of her beer glass. "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"Because she clearly didn't enlighten you on the value of your bloodline. Your _heritage_ ," he said after sipping his beer. "Which is a shame, actually. I'm sure she would have if given the chance."

"Yeah." Her gaze lowered at the same time she set her beer glass on the table.

"What about your mom? Didn't she know anything? I know the Bennett bloodline thrives in women."

"My mom left when I was a kid," she said easily. Almost too easily. "I barely remembered it happening. Grams said I bawled my eyes out on the front porch, but I don't really remember it all. It wasn't until a few years ago that I even saw her again. Didn't really leave that much of an impression on me."

There was a slight edge to her tone and this had Kai lifting his brows at her in question. "What happened?"

"She got turned into a vampire."

He leaned back in his chair, eyes wide from the information that just got thrown in his face. "What?"

She gave a nod and a slight shrug. "Vampire problems. Surprise, surprise. Ester was trying to harness the Bennett bloodline to destroy her family - the Mikaelsons. All that jazz," she explained, waving her hand back and forth in a dismissive fashion. "So to cut her off at the pass, Damon turned her to shut the connection off."

"And after?"

Bonnie's brows furrowed slightly, her eyes still locked onto the table and refusing to look up at him. "Well, she liked being a vampire so a vampire she stayed. I don't really know what she's doing these days. If she's even still in North Carolina anymore or moved somewhere else. I got swept up in other problems soon after so I didn't really keep in touch. She doesn't either." She shrugged, finally lifting her face up to him. "It's probably better that way. She wasn't a big part of my life to begin with. No sense kicking up a fuss now. I've gotten on just fine without her."

Kai's heart beat heavily against his chest, his brows cinching together severely. He had seen her in the cemetery kneeling over Sheila Bennett's grave, paying her respects. He had assumed the old woman was alive until that moment. Which sucked because he had wanted to ask her so many things since it had been almost thirty years since he'd seen her last. Shaking his head, he cleared his throat - another question bubbling to the surface. She was staying at her Gram's house, but he remembered her saying that no one was home anyway. If her mother left when she was a child and her grandmother was gone, then what happened to her father?

"And your dad?" Kai was so nervous broaching this topic, but the more he was discovering about Bonnie, the more he wanted to know every detail about her. All the heartache and all the pain she had to endure. Kai wanted to know everything and he wasn't even sure what was spurning this desire inside of him. Other than an overwhelming need to just _be there_ for her in ways that no one actually had.

He saw Bonnie's eyes grow watery and she immediately wiped her hands across her cheeks to rid them of the tears. "He died," she managed to choke out, half laughing. It didn't suit her. "Killed by a doppelganger."

"Whose?"

"Stefan's."

Kai shook his head, biting back a sound before looking back at Bonnie. "You mean the good Salvatore? _That_ Stefan?"

She laughed despite the heaviness of the topic. This bothered Kai more than he let on but he gave her a weak smile nevertheless. "Stefan wasn't always good, you know."

"Oh I gathered as much. The whole Ripper of Monterey thing. But even so, you seem to get along with him better than-"

"Damon?" Bonnie gave a half laugh this time. "Damon and I get along fine enough. He's just impulsive and bull-headed, but I know his heart is in the right place. He just lacks-"

"Patience? Finesse? The ability to see the gray areas instead of black and white all the time?" This time she laughed fully and this alleviated the knot in his chest and he laughed with her. "Do I need to go on?"

She shook her head, wiping her knuckles along her eyes to rid herself of the last few tears that had been threatening to spill. "No, no. I get it." Bonnie paused, her smile falling a fraction before it disappeared completely. "He was killed right in front of me. I...I couldn't do anything to stop it. I couldn't do _anything_ and that's what frustrated me more than anything else in the world. Feeling so damn powerless." Kai watched her hands curling into fists. "I swore I'd never let myself feel like that again..."

"I'm...I'm sorry, Bon."

"Don't be. It's not like you killed him," she said, her voice thick with emotion.

"Even so, I'm sorry just the same."

Her expression was akin to shock and he saw her bottom lip tremble slightly. Mist filled her eyes and she shook her head, wiping her forearm across her face before anymore tears could fall. The smile that Bonnie gave him, vulnerable and sincere, almost made Kai's heart stop.

"Thank you."

Their food arrived and the two of them ate in relative silence, Kai suddenly regretting having brought up anything at all. It fueled something else inside of him, however. A need to show her and teach her the things she never knew about herself. About her family history. He'd have to show her where the archives were once he was able to gain access to them. There was so much she was missing out on and so much she didn't know. Maybe learning would help open her eyes to a few things - grant her an opportunity she never even knew she had.

Somewhere in the middle of lunch, Bonnie started cracking jokes. Mostly at Kai's expense, which he ultimately didn't mind. Anything to ease her off the painful heaviness of the previous topics. But there was still something else sitting on the back of Kai's mind that was bothering him. Something that he knew he wasn't going to be able to shake unless he got an answer from her. And until he got an answer, he couldn't tell her the one thing that he'd been withholding from her - the very thing he threatened his father to keep his mouth shut about.

"Alright, we need some new threads. So shopping is our next mission." Kai flashed Bonnie a smile and she rolled her eyes.

"Shopping after eating? You think that's smart?" She tilted her head slightly. "What if nothing fits right?"

"You want to run it off?"

She reached across the table and cuffed him on the shoulder. "You want me to get a cramp or twist my ankle?"

He gave a wide smile, shaking his head as their server came with the check. "I can't win against you."

"Nope. Get ready to embrace the loser title when you go up against me."

"Somehow I think I'm winning just the same."

Paying for their meal (with Bonnie insisting that she be able to leave the tip), they stepped out into the afternoon sun and walked a few blocks further downtown. There was mention of casual clothes shopping and Kai had to agree. They had packed in a hurry and the fact that Bonnie even thought to put a nice cocktail dress in her duffel for their evening out was a surprise to him. But this wasn't just some cocktail party and he knew that he had to look the part of a young, powerful coven leader. Bonnie was his guest and if she was going to get the treatment she deserved from his coven, then she needed to look the part.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon ~_

Bonnie looked over her appearance in the mirror, eyeing the slimming black dress with a sheer lace top that braided all the way up and around her neck to cross in an 'X' just over her breasts. There was a small slit along the left leg, the rest of the fabric trailing all the way down to her ankle. The simple black kitten heels she wore would have sufficed for the outfit and maybe a few extra accessories would finish up the attire. She made a mental note to do something with her hair before stepping out of the dressing room.

She saw Kai sitting in one of the chairs, waiting for her to come out and the leg that had been propped on his leg instantly fell to the floor. His hand that was cradling his chin also fell to the arm rest and Bonnie felt a light flush blooming across her cheeks. She clasped her hands behind her back, crossing one of her legs behind the other while rocking back on her heel.

"Well?"

"Hm?" Kai mumbled the sound as if he'd suddenly lost his train of thought and this made Bonnie laugh a little nervously.

"What do you think?"

"I think," he said slowly. Too slowly. In fact, she could swear that his voice dropped a full octave and it sent a tingling sensation straight up her back. "That you better pick a different dress."

"What? Why?" Her eyes went wide and she quickly spun around on her heels to appraise herself in the mirror. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing," came his calm reply. "Just that it's not going to last the night if I have any say on the matter."

She looked at him over her shoulder and glared at him. "You _don't_ have any say."

"Bonnie, for my sake, I'm begging you to pick another dress. I won't make it through tonight if you don't."

Bonnie threw her hands up in the air, shaking her head. "Fine, you lech," she said through gritted teeth before disappearing back into the dressing room.

Muttering to herself, she ignored Kai's chuckle on the other side of the door and quickly unzipped the dress from the back. The material fell to the floor and she stepped out of the dress and her kitten heels. Leaning over to pick it up, she hung up the dress and looked at the two piece outfit she'd spied near the back of the store. It was a bit more conservative as far style, but the spots that littered all over both pieces gave it a bit of flare that even Bonnie never really pictured herself in. But something just called out to her for it so she decided, why not, and dove straight in.

Slipping on the black, white and gray speckled pencil skirt, Bonnie easily zipped it up in the back and was pleased how neatly it curved around her body and hugged her just right. It didn't restrict movement, but accentuated all the necessary bits that she preferred. She even took a moment to admire how shapely her ass was in the mirror. Laughing quietly to herself, she slipped her arms into the quarter length sleeves of the white top that was peppered with black and gold speckles - a mirrored version of the skirt. Reaching up and over her shoulders, she snapped the button in place at the collar that mimicked a loose turtleneck, her back completely exposed as the fabric fanned out - her soft, brown skin resembling a triangle.

Sitting down on the bench in the dressing room, Bonnie slid on a pair of high-heeled sandals that strapped around the ankles - golden spikes decorating the thick strap around the ankle and just over her toes. Her French manicured toe nails peeped out and she couldn't help wiggling her toes before standing back up and admiring herself in the mirror.

Satisfied with her appearance, Bonnie exited the dressing room and gasped when she nearly ran into Kai's broad chest. Her eyes flicked up to his, urging herself into taking a step back but grunted when she realized she was pressed between his larger body and the door to the dressing room. Feeling the heat in her body skyrocket, Bonnie cleared her throat loudly and tried to avert her gaze from Kai's intense one.

"How about this?"

There was only silence for a time and she could feel Kai's eyes lingering over every inch of her. It was almost to the point where she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep her gaze fixed on a specific spot on the wall.

"Better. But still treading into dangerous territory, Bon."

Bonnie could feel him leaning in closer, the soft puff of air from Kai's lips brushing against her cheek sent her pulse soaring. His fingers ghosted along her skin at her wrist, making both her and her magic jump involuntarily. Feeling his touch forced her to turn her gaze back to his and it was at this moment that she noticed that his clothing had changed. Had he gone and slipped off to the dressing room when she dipped for the second time?

He was dressed in dark brown and black, causing her eyes to widen slightly. Though completely earthy in tones, it brought out Kai's skin complexion and brightened his gray-blue eyes even further if it were possible. From what Bonnie could discern, Kai was wearing two layers of outerwear. A dark brown long coat that stopped at his knees and a shorter jacket with a rider's cropped collar underneath. Beneath all of these layers, he'd chosen a black cashmere sweater that fit his broad upper body snugly; falling comfortably along his waist that dipped just over a pair of dark brown pants that fell along perfectly polished black dress shoes.

It was an absolute sin how good he looked at that moment.

Kai seemed to have taken note of her checking him out because she caught that wolfish grin out the corner of her eye and she pursed her lips together in defiance.

"At this rate, I'm not going to be able to wear anything appropriate for this damn thing."

He laughed and she gently shoved him out of her breathing space. "You look great. I like it a lot."

When she tried to get by him, his arm blocked her as his hand rested on the door just beside her head. Again, Kai leaned in and seemed to suck up all her sense of logic with every inch he crept closer to her. Finally, his forehead pressed against hers and she couldn't help but go cross-eyed trying to look at him. He tried to maintain some level of seriousness but it soon fell apart - probably from the way her eyes were focused.

Taking a moment, she watched Kai look first to the left and then to right - as if he were checking to see if anyone was watching. And then he gave her a quick peck on the lips before lifting his face up to nip at her nose. She laughed, turning her face away so she could try to shove him back. He leaned up and back, mostly to humor her - she knew this. His hand slid down to grasp her wrist and Kai took a full step back to properly look at her - twirling her around slowly and she obliged, unable to hide the smile that she had been trying to smother down any longer.

"Wanna wear it out of the store?"

"Can I?"

He shrugged and then gave a nod. "Sure, why not?"

Bonnie pouted slightly, folding her arms across her chest when Kai finally released her hand. "I still have to do my hair and makeup."

"You can do that when we get back to the hotel." He tilted his head to the side. "Though I think you look great just like this."

She shook her head, emphasizing her need to do as she pleased. "No. If I'm your guest and I'm supposed to be representing the Bennett witches, then I need to look as presentable as possible."

The smile that crossed Kai's face was endearing and Bonnie wasn't prepared - unable to stop her own thoughts from wanting to clamber into his brain and figure out just what the hell he was thinking. Instead of vocalizing her needs, however, Bonnie opted to keep her mouth shut for now. She didn't like not knowing what was going on in his head, but knew that he would eventually speak his mind. It was just part of his nature to blurt out what was in his head. That much she'd come to learn over time.

He gestured to the checkout counter with his head, smirking down at her. "Well, let's pay for all this and get going."

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon - Manfred Estate ~_

Kai could sense Bonnie's apprehension as they got closer and closer to their destination. Her magic was rippling in every direction, sparking with life and there were a few times where he had to reach out and grasp her hand - giving it a gentle squeeze so she would remember not to let her nerves lose control. Not unless she wanted the poor, innocent cab driver to be on the receiving end of her unintentional magical wrath. After doing this a few times, Bonnie had relatively calmed down. But he could still sense that she was on edge for the remainder of the drive.

He had tried filling the silence with conversation. Mostly jokes to ease the tension, but he would patiently answer her questions regarding who all would be there and what sort of situation she was about to be placed into. As far as who was going to be there, Kai couldn't stop himself from grinning. He knew she was asking just to fill the void of silence because it wasn't like there were witches she would know aside from Olivia and maybe Josette (if she decided to make an appearance). She would meet his father, someone he had hoped she would never actually encounter, but it couldn't be helped since he was the previous leader and he was set to hand over the mantle officially during the ceremony.

The cab pulled up to the stone driveway of the Manfred Estate, home to Julian Manfred and his family of old Gemini stock. The Manfred family had close ties with the Parkers and had agreed to put the entire shindig together. Which was better seeing as how Kai wasn't the sort to plan or prepare for these sorts of things. Holidays? Sure. Parties that he didn't mind making appearances at? Absolutely. Archaic, ceremonial rites of the Gemini? Forget about it.

Kai had been adamant about not having it at his childhood home. He had fought with his father about the subject, his twin decidedly taking the reins on the matter. It was better that way, seeing as how if Kai had to cross swords with his father, there was going to be a bloodbath. He'd told Bonnie he wouldn't kill his father, but that didn't mean maiming wasn't an option that was still on the table.

He waited till they came to a complete stop before stepping out to help Bonnie out of the cab. She was about to pull her hand away, but Kai grabbed it and looped her arm through his - giving a wide flourish for her to follow him as he led the way up the walkway to the overly large and lavish manor. Already witches, old and young, were milling about and engaging in conversation. They took note of Kai's presence, some enthralled and others making faces that clearly showcased their displeasure. Old habits die hard, as they so often said. Despite the looks he and Bonnie both were receiving, Kai flashed his best smile and continued to hold her close to his side.

They made their way up to the front entrance and Kai helped Bonnie up the short flight of steps first. She started to turn and tell him something when Josette hurried through the front door and pulled Bonnie into her chest. The sudden movement startled both Kai and Bonnie as he hadn't expected his sister to already be there. In fact, he hadn't really expected Jo to be there at all.

"Bonnie! I can't believe you're here!" Jo gave Kai a look and he shrugged, his eye-line moving to Bonnie as a perplexed expression crossed her features. "You look stunning! Come inside, please, and let me introduce you to some of the more savory bunch of the Gemini."

When Bonnie turned to look to Kai for confirmation, he nodded and made a motion with both of his hands - shooing his twin and Bonnie along. "I'll be in a little later. I think they're prepping dinner, right Sissy?"

Jo gave a nod, her eyes cutting off to the right before she looped her arm through Bonnie's and pulled her inside to disappear among the throng of other witches being nosy inside Julian's house. He didn't have to worry about Bonnie if she was at Jo's side, which was probably why she had made it a point to hurry along as she had to fetch her. His gaze lingered among the crowd, noting that his sister's expression had hardened a fraction and he turned to face the very direction she had cut her sights to.

But of course, she had been looking at their father. Of course.

Joshua Parker excused himself among the small group of Elder witches that he was conversing with, making his way over to Kai and already he felt his back growing rigid with the tension. Kai slipped his hands into his coat pockets, tilting his head to the side and waited for his father to meet him. Holding a glass of wine in his hand, he offered the other to Kai and he looked at it curiously.

"It's not poisoned, Malachai."

Kai scoffed, a dark smirk playing on his lips. "Poison is the least of my concerns," he said, taking the glass from him. "We both know you're not stupid enough to pull something on today of all days."

"Glad to see you have some sense."

"I spent the last eighteen years dreaming of your death and I haven't killed you yet. I think that's a testament in and of itself, don't you think?"

"Yes, well the night is still young."

Kai sipped from the glass, rolling a bit of the wine on his tongue and made a satisfied noise once he was able to determine nothing was laced in it. "Indeed. But have no fear. I won't kill you until you've passed your crown over to me. Luke is getting in the way in here." He pressed a hand against his chest.

His father hummed in response, his eyes roving over Kai's body before looking back toward the manor. "I see that Josette has whisked Miss Bennett away before I was able to properly introduce myself."

"I know. Isn't Jo the best?"

Joshua's eyes narrowed slightly, turning his attention back to Kai. He gave an impish grin to his father in return to the icy stare he received. "I don't know what you said or did to convince your sister to come over to your side-"

He laughed outright, drawing the attention of a few of the other witches for a split second. They seemed both confused and curious as to what could have been so amusing between the former Coven head and the one who was to be newly appointed. Kai lifted up a hand in mock-reassurance and greeting and they went back to their own conversations - occasionally throwing looks their way.

"I didn't _do or say_ anything." Kai gave an off-handed shrug. "Maybe Jo decided my life has more value and decided that the way you've been running the Coven is behind the times. But don't worry, I plan on fixing a few things in this messed up little witchy family of ours." He took a step toward his father, standing even in height with him now. His eyes narrowed in warning. "There are enough baseless rumors circulating around the coven, fueled by your embellishments I'm sure."

There was a beat of silence, his father sipping from his wine glass before raising his brows and eyeing the glass with mild appraisal. "Is she responsible for this change?"

"Maybe."

"You shouldn't get so attached to her, Son," responded his father coldly. "Miss Bennett is _an outsider_ and one of the last few remaining witches of her line."

"Isn't it great? Like a diamond in the rough."

Joshua smiled but it did not meet his eyes. "Whatever your attraction to her is, it should stop short of just that. You'll eventually cause her more problems in the long run and it will only hinder your ascension into your role as leader of our coven."

Kai's grin took a sinister twist. "I'm going to do something completely out of character and _request_ that you make this transition as smooth as possible for both our sake. So let's agree to be civil from now on and you can bow out with some dignity, hm?"

A new thought dawned on him, slipping a hand into his pocket and pulling out the magic siphoning device he'd pilfered from the 1903 prison world. He saw the look of surprise cross his father's face, further solidifying his theory that he'd managed to put together when he and Bonnie had been stuck in another dimension with The Heretics. The sting of it in his palm was practically a minor annoyance compared to the amount of anger Kai was having to suppress deep in his gut.

"Where did you-"

Joshua reached for the device but Kai moved his hand just short of his grasp, placing the device back into his pocket while clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Oh don't worry, Dad. When the ceremony is over, we're going to have plenty of time to chat about it." He pivoted on his heel, directing his steps toward the manor. "See you at dinner."

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _o.o WE FINALLY DID IT! I know, I'm terrible. I'm sorry I left you here. I am. But I didn't want to make this chapter any longer than I already had and I want the ceremony to have its own chapter (along with a few other reveals). As I stated before, we're going to stay in the past a little while longer before jumping back to the Present Kai. I'm so elated to know that I have such a wonderful group of fans who are enjoying the story so far! Again, I want to thank **donutworry** and **albion19** for allowing me to stumble across this story prompt in the first place. And, of course, to **mysticfalls-originals** for being such a wonderful source of inspiration for me. Without her works, I don't know if I ever would have been able to fall in love with fanfiction again as thoroughly as I have. Please continue to read and review! Your kind words mean everything to me!_


	15. Back To The Land I'd Lost

_~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon - Manfred Estate ~_

Bonnie drained her wine glass when her plate had been taken from her. She wasn't sure if that had been her fourth or fifth glass of wine, but she could feel Kai's gaze on her from across the table. Josette and Olivia were seated on either side of her, chatting together and taking moments to add her to the conversation. Bonnie simply smiled, gave her responses accordingly, but her skin was on fire and she felt like she was going to throw up the dinner she'd been struggling to eat for the last forty-five minutes.

She was an outsider.

Bonnie Bennett, one of the last of the Bennett witches, was an outsider.

It wasn't hard for her to be able to discern this. Even if Kai hadn't prepared her for what was to happen at the dinner, and hadn't already warned her that she couldn't attend the ceremonial rites regarding his transition into coven leadership, Bonnie would have sensed her status from the get-go. She would have sensed that she didn't belong. In fact, there was an inkling that some in the Gemini even viewed her as a threat. It was a look that, usually, accompanied a swift vampire assault to her person. It was strange receiving this same look from witches.

 _Maybe coming here wasn't such a great idea..._ At least back in Mystic Falls, she was used to the crazy that came with the package that was her friends. This was uncharted territory for Bonnie.

She felt a hand ghosting across her knee and looked up straight into Kai's face. He appeared to be leaning forward, as if to finish his meal, but his eyes remained locked on hers. Her fingers dipped and twisted, curling into his and she took comfort knowing that he could sense her unease. Josette and Olivia had sensed it as well, but were attempting to move subjects around and distract Bonnie. It was a nice attempt, but it only made her feel more obvious and had her standing out more than she would have ever stated out loud.

Even though this was a ceremony to install Kai as the next Gemini Coven Leader, Joshua Parker sat at the table with the other Elders. There was an empty chair at said table, one that should have been Kai's, but he had refused. Bonnie believed that it was both for her sake and for the simple fact that he wanted to be rebellious against every instance of Gemini tradition that he could muster. But part of her also was secretly grateful that he had chosen to sit with her and his sisters. Olivia had expressed her indifference with him and she could see the ghost of a smile on Jo's face every once in a while when Kai and she would speak in teasing jabs at one another.

It brought Bonnie comfort to know that he and his sisters weren't trying to kill each other, given the unsavory past they had with one another. Perhaps they were seeing the changes in him, little by little, and coming to accept it as Bonnie, too, was slowly accepting it.

Suddenly, Joshua Parker stood up and began tapping the side of his wine glass. Everyone's attention was now zeroed in on him, Bonnie included. However, just out of the corner of her eye she saw that Kai's gaze was still lingering in her direction. She felt his fingers squeezing against her own once more before releasing her. Her eyes glossed over him for one more second before he, too, turned to see what his father was up to.

"First I would like to thank everyone for attending and to Julian for setting this all up. I know it was a last minute request, but I'm appreciative all the same." Joshua looked down at one of the tables near the front and an older man with salt and peppered hair nodded. The others at the table, presumably his family, nodded as well. "This is to celebrate the return of my son, Malachai Parker, as well as to finally hand over my mantle as the Gemini's leader. It has been a long time coming and I apologize that it has, in fact, taken this long."

Olivia snorted next to Bonnie and it took everything she had to resist looking at her. While she could feel the magic swirling all around her from the other witches, Bonnie knew that there was still a lasting resentment from Liv toward her older brother. Because Luke was now inside of Kai. It was a reality that probably burned straight through to her soul. Worst of all? She had no choice but to accept it or she would be cast out from the Gemini. They were all she had left, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

"In a few minutes, we will conclude dinner and head to the ritual grounds where the ceremonial rites will be held. As everyone knows, this is a closed ceremony so those not associated with the Gemini will be asked to remain here at the Estate. The reception will be held here upon the completion of the ceremony and once Malachai has fully transitioned into his role as the Gemini Coven's new leader."

It was like all eyes were suddenly on Bonnie and she balled her hands up in her lap, along with her skirt. She was fighting the urge to grab the entire bottle of wine and vacate the premises with it. There was a sudden jump from her magic - a miniature volcano on the verge of erupting. Jo and Liv both sensed it immediately, feeling Jo's hands going straight for Bonnie's. The power that surged in her must have startled Kai's twin because when Bonnie looked into the older woman's sapphire eyes, she was taken aback to see the surprise mixing with anxiousness that created a lovely cocktail of fear. If she had turned to look to Olivia, she was sure she'd have seen the same thing in her eyes as well.

Bonnie simply smiled and closed her eyes. She brought the temperature down that was broiling inside of her. With a single intake of breath, Bonnie gently pushed her magic down into the space just below her rib cage.

Dinner was concluded and a simple dessert was placed before everyone - along with a dessert wine. Bonnie looked at the lovely, delicate dessert - a raspberry tart sitting eloquently on a bed of gelato, and a sad smile crossed her features. The colors of red and white were too much to take in - the smell gentle and inviting. Another part of her was willing her mouth to water for it, to want to get through the dinner's conclusion with a stiff upper lip.

So she tried. She took one forkful of that dessert and let it slip between her lips and slide down her throat. She took one single breath once she'd manage to successfully swallow it down.

And she wanted to die.

Bonnie downed her glass of wine and excused herself.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon - Manfred Estate ~_

Bonnie got up with such a quickness, he hadn't been prepared for it. Neither had Jo or Liv, for that matter. But when he caught his father's expression, that smugness that was ever apparent, he could only wonder just what he had done. What could his father have possibly done in that short amount of time to Bonnie? It was impossible. Jo and Liv had been attached to her at the hip - a simple request he'd given once he and Jo had been alone long enough to slip away from their father's ever watchful presence. Jo, in turn, had passed the message on to Liv who had readily agreed. Perhaps it was because she still harbored some guilt toward Bonnie for having manipulated her the way she had. Who knew, really?

But the look in Bonnie's eyes was all that he cared about. Because Kai recognized that look. It was a look he'd seen in the mirror countless times. A look that he didn't think he'd ever have the opportunity to see again. Not since the Merge.

Kai saw murder in her eyes.

It took no time for him to exit the dining hall, his eyes catching sight of Bonnie's retreating back just as she rounded a corner just beyond the parlor. The back door flew open and he saw Bonnie slam it closed behind her with the force of her magic. With the same angry force he'd seen her utilize when he'd seen her at the rave - that night he'd tried, and failed miserably, to apologize to her. To show how sorry he was for hurting her.

He pried the door open and took one full lunge, grabbing Bonnie by her wrist and spinning her back around to him before she could take a single step off the back porch. The speed in which he did so caught her off guard, a sharp cry all she could convey before he slammed her body against his. Her hand went up to smack him and he caught it, holding fast to her waist as a wild fire danced in those beautiful fucking eyes - those greens that reminded him of the forests he had often played in as a child.

"Let go of me," she half-snarled.

"Bon-"

"I said let go!"

"Nope."

" _Kai,_ " she seethed, her eyes narrowing to slits as he held fast to her. "I will wreck you from the inside out if you don't let me go right now."

That Bennett fire. God, she was so breathtaking. Did she really not know how sexy she was when she was angry? How she was making him ache for her all over? Kai had a hard time believing she wasn't doing this on purpose.

"Tell me why you're angry and trying to run away and then I'll let you go."

Bonnie turned her head away defiantly. "No."

"Then I guess I'm not letting you go. Not that I'm complaining." She cut her eyes at him, glaring at him as she so often did when he pushed his way around into her space. Instead, he smiled. "Talk to me, Bon."

Her eyes narrowed further. "No."

"What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Nothing."

Kai saw the tell-tale flare of her nostrils and it took everything in him not to burst out laughing. He knew she'd kill him on the spot if he did. So he opted to let his gaze linger a moment longer before he narrowed his eyes in return.

"...Liar."

She must have realized she'd given herself away because her eyes grew wide and the tautness in her arm relaxed while his fingers still encircled her wrist. A deep breath pushed from her lungs, causing her tension to slacken against him. Kai's other hand dug into the fabric of her skirt, balling it up at her hip and inching her closer. He heard her suck in a breath through her teeth but she kept her eyes locked on him - the wildfire dancing in those depths as her magic pushed hard against his own.

"I hate you."

How in the world had he lived this long without this woman? How long had the world been so cruel as to let him, a monster, run around untamed by this witch? How long had he been able to even _breathe_ without her?

Bonnie's eyes danced between his own - searching for something that she seemed to be suspecting to be there. Darkness. Anger. Dominance. In another life, they would have been there. But all he wanted to show her was that he was different. That he had changed. That he wasn't going to hurt her and he hoped - no, he _needed_ her to know that it was the truth.

He leaned forward, their faces inches from each other. "Let me in."

A puff of air brushed along his cheeks, a sign that she was resigning herself. Kai waited for her to gather her thoughts as she often did. He waited for her to come up from the ocean of her mind for air.

"I don't belong here," she said finally.

Kai's hand released her wrist, relishing how her palm fell against his chest. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of that feeling. "Do you want to?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Then what's the problem?" he asked, his free hand snaking up to clasp his fingers at the nape of her neck. He let his thumb ring gently caress her throat, watching hypnotically as her pulse jumped at the contact. The pad of his thumb pressed against the space below her jaw, urging her to lift her face up to him even more.

"I shouldn't have come."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm an outsider."

"So?"

"What do you mean, 'So'?"

Kai's smile fell from his lips. Bonnie was so frustrating. She never could just say what was going on in her head and he hated searching for the answer. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack and he would have laughed at the analogy any other day. But not today.

"You already knew coming here that you'd be seen as an outsider. I told you this. Why do you make it sound like this is something new?"

"Because I wasn't prepared for this."

"Prepared for what, Bon?"

"To feel embarrassed!"

She had blurted it out so suddenly that Kai hadn't expected it. He leaned back, still holding Bonnie close to him. But he did let her arch her back a fraction so she could look up at him properly and to be able to breathe comfortably.

"Wait, what?" He blinked. "You're embarrassed?" For a long few seconds, all she did was look at him. Then she gave a single nod of her head. Kai laughed, the rumble in his chest shaking both of them and he only laughed harder when Bonnie smacked and punched his chest. "Okay, okay! Stop!" His laughter continued and he let go of her waist to grab her wrists, giving her a gentle shake. "Okay, Bon. I get it. I get it."

Bonnie turned her head away angrily and he could see the pout beginning to form on her full lips. Kai cupped the side of her neck, using his thumb to move her chin so that she was forced to look at him. Leaning forward, he closed his eyes and gave her a quick kiss - pressing his forehead against hers. Opening his eyes, he waited for the fire to dim in her eyes slightly before pulling back. His other hand let her wrist go, moving to lace his fingers through hers.

However, when he pulled her back toward the door, he felt Bonnie resisting him by digging her heels into the wooden porch. Turning over his shoulder to look at her, he raised his brows at her in an understood question and she shook her head emphatically. "You don't have anything to be embarrassed about. You know that, right?"

"I don't want to go back in there. I can't," she mused, looking down at her feet. Bonnie then raised her face to look back at him and she used her other hand to wrap around his wrist. "I need to save face. Let me salvage at least a little bit of my pride, would you?"

Turning around to fully face her, Kai dipped his chin slightly as he looked at her. "So what do you want to do? I can't leave yet but I don't want you cutting and running like you're skipping out on paying a meal tab."

She scoffed. "I'm not going anywhere. I just...need some air."

Kai just stared at her for a long time. Probably longer than she would have liked. But after a few more grueling minutes, he pulled her toward the steps of the back porch and helped her down them. Once they hit the brick pathway leading to a gazebo in the back, Kai slipped a hand into his pocket and handed Bonnie an old key with metal cogs and workings on the top - the teeth at the end similar to an old skeleton key with four prongs jutting from the side. It was connected to a simple link of chain, charcoal in color.

Bonnie looked up at him curiously. "What is this?"

"It's a key to the Gemini archives," he said, smiling proudly. "Since you have the pleasure of being _quite close_ to the current coven leader, it gives you certain freedoms."

He watched her eyes bulge slightly before she looked back down to the key in her hand. "Are you serious?" Something flashed across her features and he immediately took note of the worry lines creasing her brows. "But you're not even the official coven leader yet. How did you even get this?"

"Are you kidding?" Kai laughed and shook his head. "Just because I was an outsider, you think I didn't get into trouble? I've lost count how many times I snatched this key from my old man. Besides, most heads of houses have their own key to the archives. It's fine."

"But where are they? Surely not here," she mused, turning the key over in her hand. "And certainly not at your family's home."

"No, the archives are in the heart of the city. You know, the whole 'hiding in plain sight' kinda thing. You'll need the key and a spell." Grabbing her hand with the key, he pulled her close so he could whisper the spell into her ear. He felt her shiver against him and smiled when he pulled away to look at her face. "Think you'll be able to remember that?"

Again, Bonnie scoffed. "Boy, did you forget who you're talking to?"

"How could I ever?"

"I don't know how to get there."

"Don't worry about that," Kai said, leading her around the back of the house and down the pathway where the cab had first dropped them off. Much to Bonnie's surprise, there was a cab already waiting for her. "A cab will take you where you need to go."

He stopped halfway down the path, turning Bonnie to look at him and she seemed torn between her surprise and being impressed with him. "Geez, I am so annoyed with you."

Kai's wolfish grin spread even further. "Is it because I'm always two steps ahead of the game?"

"Yes, and it pisses me off."

He leaned forward, towering over her, so that he could cup her face in her hands and press a kiss to her forehead. "I'll call you when the ceremony is over. You can just have the cab wait for you and he'll bring you back."

Bonnie raised up on the balls of her feet and kissed the corner of Kai's mouth, making him reel back a fraction before she darted off the rest of the way to the cab. When she pulled the door open, Kai watched her pause and look back at him. There was a shared moment of silence before Bonnie waved and then dipped into the back cabin. Kai shook his head, waiting for the cab to speed away off the property before he turned back to the manor - hands stuffed into the pockets of his coat.

It was show time.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon - The Grand Gemini Archives ~_

When Bonnie stepped out of the cab, her eyes widened with both shock and awe. The building didn't look all that impressive - an old brick warehouse. But Bonnie was no fool. She could sense the magic seeping out from every corner of the structure and it caused her breath to halt in her throat. Her hand motioned to the cab driver, turning to look at him so she could thank him for bringing her there. He'd already received instructions from Kai to wait until she was finished with what she wanted to do inside. She secretly hoped that she had cell reception in this place because if there was any indication to how much was inside from the immense power she was sensing, Bonnie was going to need to be roused from her distraction.

Walking up to the front of the building which, surprisingly, seemed like the only building on the entire deserted street, she noticed the antique padlock on the door wrapped through chains of iron to secure the handles. Her fingers brushed along the lock and Bonnie inhaled sharply, the magic within zipping through her skin and striking directly to her heart which caused it to beat rapidly. Bonnie didn't bother hiding the smile on her face. She was excited. She would have been a fool not to be.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and began to focus. Then, just as she slipped the key into the lock, she whispered the words that Kai had spoken to her. _"Phasmatos Veritatem."_

Turning the key, the lock clicked free from its binding and then disappeared along with the chains. When Bonnie opened her eyes, she looked up and saw that she was no longer standing in front of an old, abandoned brick warehouse. She was now standing in front of a building that looked too much like the Supreme Court structure of the United States - a large Parthenon whose double doors glistened of red birch wood. She stood frozen in place, taking in the sight of the glorious building, and her steadily drumming heartbeat and magic pulsed with the anticipation she was sure was clearly written on her face.

Pushing the doors open, Bonnie stepped inside and took comfort at how her heels clicked along the marble flooring - her eyes soaking in the seemingly endless shelves and rows of books. The doors shut behind her, magically sealing her inside until she was ready to leave. She didn't even need to be told that the illusion spell had been placed back on the building the moment the doors were closed.

A hand went out to touch one of the shelves, sensing the magic leaking from the surface due to all the books lining the shelves. "...they're all grimoires." Her voice sounded so foreign to her in the overwhelming amount of space encompassing her. Slipping between a set of shelves, she read the various family names along the spines - some with first and last names engraved on the tomes. "They're all grimoires!"

Her eyes took note of the various computer stations in the center of the main floor and Bonnie wasted no time running to it and booting one up. As if by magic, it had taken no time at all. She immediately began searching through the archive's catalog and knew where she wanted her focus to fall on: Bennett and Gemini - specifically their relationship with each other.

She may not have voiced it out loud, but it had bothered Bonnie to a degree that Kai knew more about her Grams than he was letting on. It was bad enough that her grandmother had been keeping magic a secret from her all this time, her father aiding to that same form of "isolation" from her heritage. But to know that Kai had more knowledge about her own family? Her only concrete conclusion was that he must have found out through perusing the archives when he was younger. That was the only explanation that made sense.

Thirty seconds later, the computer presented her with three results:

\- The Alliance of the Bennett and Gemini Covens

\- The Fall of the Bennett Coven

\- The Resurrection of the Bennett Coven

Bonnie could hardly believe what she was looking at. Even more was that all three of the texts were available in the archive. Not really caring too much about the alliance that had been formed by her family and the Gemini, she was more interested in learning about what happened to her coven. That she had even come from a full coven of witches was remarkable enough information to stumble across from the book title alone. But if what Kai had hinted at was any indication of what she was about to read, Bonnie knew she was about to get lost in these texts.

She pulled out her phone, relieved that she was able to get reception. Locating the books, she stood up from the desk and started making her way toward the back of The Archives.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon - Gemini Coven Ritual Grounds ~_

The Gemini all gathered after dinner was concluded. Shedding what garments they could, they were all handed out robes to place over their bodies. Once fitted in the required attire, as per tradition, The Elders and Joshua Parker transported them all to the ritual grounds where Kai would ascend to his rightful position as coven head. Jo gave Kai his robe, watching her slip on the black robe over her own body and then resting the hood over her head. He mimicked her motions, rolling his eyes at all the bravado.

It was too damn hot to be wearing these damned robes. But hey, traditions. It was a thing he couldn't escape. However, one of his first edicts would be to get rid of the sweaty, velvety robes they were forced to wear during these ceremonial rites. Part of him was thankful Bonnie couldn't see him in his dark red robe. It reminded him of the cloak that Bonnie had favored in the 1903 prison world, the sight of the hood resting on the crown of her head while donning her Victorian clothing was almost too much for him to stand some days.

How in the world had he managed to keep his hands to himself, especially with the way her breasts were hugged against the fabric and how the elegant boning molded against her shape in that provocative manner? Kai would blame it on his emotions and the need to have some semblance of morality when it came to Bonnie Bennett. Especially since they were stuck in another prison world together.

Kai watched everyone gathering together, the throng of witches and their power permeating the air and striking out like tiny electric shocks along his body. He had only ever attended this sort of gathering once before and he had been very young at the time. Before his siphoning abilities fully awakened and his father had simply believed something was "wrong" with him as to why he had no magic of his own like Jo did.

Regular members of the coven wore black robes with gold designs on the front and back - the symbol that represented their familial house on the front just over the heart and the sigil of the Gemini emblazoned on the back; also in gold. The Elders of the coven wore dark green robes while the current Gemini Coven head, his father, donned a white and gold robe. The heir apparent, the one who would transition into the leadership role, wore the dark red and silver-stitched robes that draped over Kai's own body.

There were clusters forming, mostly families of witches making sure that their others were dressed and looking as proper as they needed. Kai saw Olivia and Josette out of the corner of his eye, making their way over toward him as they watched their father stand before a stone altar. The Elders, all six, stood behind Joshua as he laid out the various items for the ritual on the stone altar: an athame, a white stone bowl full of water and a black stone bowl full of salt.

Joshua grabbed the bowl of salt and began to create a circle around both him and the altar - large enough that another person could step inside just in front of the stone altar. Once the circle was completed, he placed the bowl back on the altar and picked up the athame and cradled it in his right hand. Using the edge of the athame's blade, he cut into his palm and squeezed several drops of blood into the bowl of salt which, in response, caused the circle of salt to flash a deep red color for a few seconds before going white again.

The circle had been completed - it was now his to control.

"We gather here tonight to acknowledge a new era, a new leader, and to bless this ascension as it comes to pass. Those who will bear witness to this occasion, step forward so that you may be invited into the circle."

One by one, each of the families approached the circle as Kai watched his father point the athame's blade at their throat. And each time, his father spoke the traditional question: "Do you enter this circle with perfect love and perfect trust? Knowing that if you have any ill intent before the gods that calamity will befall you and your house?" And each time, those who entered responded with the traditional answer: "I enter this circle with perfect love and perfect trust."

Kai knew that the athame was imbued with magic so that if anyone dared lie, the magic would sense it or sense the ill intentions of those entering and mark the person who dared to break the circle of perfect trust. The sort of magic that was laced inside of the athame was ancient, of that he was certain. It was why his father had made it a task to have the item sealed away after every ritual - especially when he discovered that Kai could siphon magic away from not just people, but from inanimate objects as well.

His sisters were the final ones to approach, seeing as they were the ones who were part of the current coven leader's family. They said the words, could see the wind pick up around their mantles and Kai felt the magic swirling all around him. Dammit all, if he wasn't getting drunker by the second from feeling the magic around him - harnessed and focused on a single point.

Jo left the circle with Liv, moving to approach Kai and he looked at his sister. With a wide gesture, she motioned for Kai to stand beside her as they returned just outside of the circle of salt until they were both invited to enter the circle. His father nodded, almost grimacing, and waited until they both entered into the circle before continuing.

"Who approaches this sacred space?" asked Joshua and Kai saw his eyes flick over to his twin.

Josette cleared her throat, pulling back the hood from her robes. "I, Josette Parker, bring you the one who wishes to know the mysteries of this coven. The one who wishes to honor the gods and the goddesses. The one who will hold dominion over all."

Kai felt a rippling sensation snake up his spine. He saw his father's gaze shift over to him.

"Seeker, by what name will you be known within this sacred circle?"

"Malachai Parker."

As his name left his mouth, Kai amped up his magic and caused the winds to circle and dance around them - moving only the hoods and hems of their robes; showcasing his control by not even shifting a single grain of salt in the circle. Joshua looked at his son sternly and Kai could only grin in response, ignoring the light smack to his hand that Jo had given him for being obstinate. Rebel to the end, it would seem.

"The gods have deemed you worthy, Malachai Parker," came his father's somber response. It was almost sobering to hear it. "Kneel before their presence." Kai had to resist rolling his eyes before he knelt down before the stone altar. Josette, in turn, stepped out of the circle and took her place beside Liv. "Seeker Malachai Parker, before you are initiated as the next leader of the Gemini, are you prepared for your purification?"

"Yes."

His father reached into the sleeve of his robe, pulling out a sprig of sage. Joshua then closed his eyes, muttering _"Incendia,"_ and the sprigs burst into flames. He set the athame down on the stone table, picking up the white stone bowl filled with water and dropped the burning sage into the bowl. It continued to burn, sizzling both the sage and water until a black mass spread across the surface of the water before blowing across the water and into the bowl. He picked up the athame and set the bowl down, cutting into his palm and dropping a few droplets of his blood into the bowl along with the burnt sage and water - stirring everything in the bowl with the athame's blade.

"By being part of this coven, you are a part of a greater spiritual family. As such, you are connected to an endless circle of kinship and hospitality. Hail ye, gods and goddesses! Hail to kinsmen and clan, to the ancestors who watch over us, and to those who may follow. Here before you kneels Malachai Parker, the Seeker." His father paused, looking down at Kai as half of his face was shadowed from his hood. "Seeker, the mysteries of the gods are many. We can never hope to learn them all, but we can indeed follow them on our journey through this life and the next. As a Coven Leader, you will learn and grow and evolve every day. You will seek new knowledge and attain it in direct proportion to your efforts. Let the Gods and the Ancient Ones guide you on your travels." A snap of his fingers and the bowl gave off a puff of smoke that smelled like the burnt sage - something sweeter lingering on the after currents. "Are you willing and able to uphold the values and principles of this coven?"

Kai's eyes narrowed. "I am."

"Are you prepared, Seeker, to be born anew, to begin this day a brand-new journey, as part of your new spiritual family, and as a child of the gods?"

"Yes."

"Then rise, Malachai Parker, and emerge from the womb of darkness, and be welcomed into the light and love of the gods. You are no longer a mere Seeker, but a Leader of the Gemini."

Kai rose to his feet, holding his hand out to this father so that Joshua could cut into his palm with the athame. He then gestured for Kai to squeeze his blood into the bowl. Once a few drops had fallen, his father grasped his hand - the same hand that had also been cut so that their bloodied palms were touching. He felt his father's fingers tightening their hold and it took every ounce of willpower that he had not to siphon his father's magic. Biting the inside of his jaw, he waited for his father's next spell to be chanted.

 _"Phasmatos sequitos in lucema infantesi mortuous. Venis ad vitur. Venis ad essendier. Factuo partis viventia."_

The bowl began to glow, magic dancing and swirling into a single point and there were a few sharp intakes of breath from the other coven members. This continued for a few more seconds and it was only then did he notice the change. Kai's eyes widened slightly as he watched his father's robes changing from white and gold to green and gold - as if someone had wounded him at his heart and he was bleeding green. In response, Kai looked at his own robes and watched with wonder as they changed from the dark red and silver to white and gold.

Once the change was completed, Kai and his father released each other's hands. There was a soft throbbing feeling in the center of his palm and Kai couldn't help but wonder if he had accidentally siphoned from his father after all, given the disgruntled look on his father's face.

"This robe represents your role as a Coven Leader within the coven. It marks you before the gods as one who wishes to follow their path." Kai took a moment to survey his father's robes and then his own. He had become the Coven Leader while his father was now one of the seven official elders of the Gemini - his privy council.

Another wave of his hand brought Kai out of his thoughts, watching as his younger sister, Liv, approached their father holding a tray covered with a black bit of fabric. His father lifted the fabric off of the tray to reveal a leather bound book with the Gemini symbol branded on the cover, a silver pendant with a gold and silver Celtic knot of protection, and he set the athame on the tray with the other items. His father then held the tray out to Kai which he accepted with as much respect as he could muster.

"I give you these tools, and bid you use them wisely, and always in accordance with the mandates and guidelines of our tradition."

Kai nodded, trying to stay focused on his father's extremely serious and dark expression.

"Welcome, Coven Leader Malachai Parker. May you be blessed by the gods."

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon ~_

 **Kai: _Hey, we're finished up here. Come back._**

Bonnie saw the text and rolled her eyes, closing the book she was reading and slipping it back on the shelf from whence it came. She wished she'd had more time to really engross herself in the text. It took every scraping of her moral fibers not to steal any of the books in the Gemini archives.

 **Bonnie: _I don't wanna. I like it here._**

 **Kai: _=( Bon, don't do this to me. Everyone is so annoyingly nice to me right now._**

 **Kai: _Save meeeeeeeeeee._**

She started heading toward the doors, placing her hand on the surface and whispering a spell to allow her to exit the building. Once outside, she turned around and closed the door - surprised to see that the chains and padlock had returned to the front. All it was awaiting was for her to insert the key so the illusion spell could be replaced back over the building. She slipped the key into the lock and turned, watching a soft ripple of magic overtake the building and returning it to the appearance of an abandoned warehouse.

 **Kai: _If you think I won't just come out there and get you, I'm going to have to warn you against those thoughts._**

 **Bonnie: _Oooo, threats by the all-powerful Kai Parker. I'm SO scared. =)_**

 **Kai: _You should be._**

 **Bonnie: _I'm not though. Does that bother you?_**

 **Kai: _Tremendously. I'm going to have to punish you._**

 **Bonnie: _I'd like to see you try._**

 **Kai: _Oh I bet you would. ;) Now hurry up and come back before_** ** _I start torturing people._**

 **Bonnie: _With your bad jokes?_**

 **Kai: _...now that's just mean._**

 **Bonnie: _I'm getting in the cab now._**

Dropping into the cab, Bonnie gave directions for the driver to take her back to the Manfred Estate. Her mind was still reeling from what she'd been able to read about her family lineage. While things may not have gone all the way back to Qetsiyah and Silas, it was dated back far enough that Bonnie wasn't able to quiet her curiosity. Her family had once been a coven of thousands of witches. They were once powerful, and probably one of _the most powerful_ in the entire world - a friendly rivalry between the Gemini and her own witch family. The Bennetts, the Parkers, the Manfreds and the Montoyas had once been especially close.

It put a damper on Bonnie's mood to know just how much had changed in the last five hundred years. Her line was almost extinct and Kai's family? Well, they were just as strong as they ever were, if not stronger. Her Grams had been the famed Matriarch of the Bennett line and Bonnie was the heir to that title.

How could it have gotten this bad? How had her own ancestors _let it_ get this bad?

"Ma'am? We're here."

She blinked, pulled from her reverie to see that they were driving up to the Manfred Estate. She didn't remember it being that short of a drive, but Bonnie couldn't say anything. She had been so focused on her own thoughts that time probably passed normally without her realizing it.

Thanking the driver, she exited the cab and started making her way up the path leading to the manor. Just as she was about fifteen feet from the house did her footsteps pause. Kai was standing in front of the entrance, speaking with a woman with bright and flowing red hair, pale skin and a soft dusting of freckles along her cheeks. Her green eyes held a splash of hazel in them and were hooded under long, dark lashes - lips painted a soft pink as her smile held that eloquent flare that Bonnie assumed was taught versus being natural.

She and Kai were chatting it up, holding glasses of champagne, and seemed deep in conversation. However, it wasn't until Bonnie saw the woman's elegant fingers reaching for the lapels of Kai's coat did a spark of magic ignite inside of Bonnie. Had she realized what would happen soon after, she would have done anything to smother it down into her gut. But it was too late and all she could do was watch the woman gasp in surprise when her champagne flute shattered in her hands - the bubbly covering her hands and fingers while the glass jingled and danced on the stone at their feet.

Bonnie's heart almost stopped when Kai looked directly at her, his brows furrowed in confusion. But then she saw his gaze shifting around, as if he were searching for something before he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to the woman. He then excused himself, brushing past her and began walking toward Bonnie.

She said nothing as he approached. She didn't even move. But what confused her, at that moment, was when Kai brushed _past_ her and stalked off toward the end of the driveway where she had left the cab. Pivoting on her heels, she looked at Kai's retreating back with wide eyes. Had he not seen her?

Suddenly her armed was jerked back and she whirled around, staring into the cold eyes of Joshua Parker. His fingers were enclosed over her bicep, pressing the fabric of her shirt into her skin. "W-What do you think you're doing?" she snapped, trying to jerk her arm free.

Instead of answering her, Joshua pulled her away and to a secluded area near the edge of the woods where the trees would provide them with ample cover. It wasn't until that moment that she realized that Kai's father must have put a cloaking spell on them which explained why Kai hadn't been able to see her just then. At least she had an idea of where Kai got his pushy attitude from.

"Miss Bennett," he said, his voice just as cold as the glint in his eyes. "I am going to have to ask that you cease whatever this... _thing is_ between you and my son."

Bonnie's eyes narrowed severely. "Oh, so he's your son now?"

"Yes, and he is also officially the leader of the Gemini Coven, which means that his priorities are going to start changing."

"And what does that mean, exactly?"

"It means that he is going to have to start taking responsibility for his actions, both present and future, to ensure the safety and success of this coven."

"So what does that have to do with me?"

"It has _everything_ to do with you Miss Bennett."

Again, Bonnie tried to break free of the hold Joshua had on her but he was relentless with his vice-like grip. "I don't follow."

"One of Malachai's duties is to make sure that he is able to secure his position, which he has, and to formulate alliances with other powerful witches in the coven. Alliances that may involve marriage so that the bloodline can be protected."

It felt like her heart just dropped into the pit of her stomach. Instead of answering, all she could do was swallow the growing lump in her throat in a fruitless attempt to wet her now dry mouth.

"You are the last of your line, are you not, Miss Bennett?"

"One of the last, yes," she said, both her anger and magic frothing and bubbling at the surface.

Joshua must have sensed this because he gave a slight twitch of his brow in response to the sudden flare of her magical aura. But he didn't acknowledge it verbally. It was good that he didn't because Bonnie wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to conduct herself in a proper fashion.

"Which means it will only be a matter of time before your bloodline dies out," he continued. "You may be a Bennett, but your name is all you have. You have no power, no coven, and other than your own personal magic, you have nothing to bring to the Gemini table." He paused and Bonnie could feel the bile rising in her throat. "If you were to tether yourself to Malachai, you would only be hindering his position, not securing it."

"What?"

"For his sake, as well as the sake of the entire Gemini coven, I'm going to have to ask you to return to Mystic Falls," Joshua said firmly. " _Without_ my son."

* * *

 _ **AN:** I feel like I'm punishing myself at this point and not just you guys! It's a double-edged sword! T_T But yes, managed to get through some things, got to see some Gemini Coven ritual action and a first flare up of jealousy from Bonnie. You liked that? I know I did. Again, we are going to remain in the past for a bit before we return to the Present. Please be patient with me! XD Anyway, thanks so much guys for all your love and support! You're the best and your comments keep me going! A very special thanks to **BonKaiFan4Life** for faithfully reviewing practically every chapter in the series so far! I wish you had an account so I could reply to you directly, but I know you read the notes so this is my way of showing you my appreciation! Please continue to read and review and I'll see you in the next chapter!_


	16. Say It Louder

_~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon ~_

If Kai had seen Bonnie when he'd felt her magic break Andrea Manfred's champagne flute, he would have made love to her right on the grass of Julian Manfred's yard. Propriety be damned. He had always felt that toxic form of possession catch hold of him when it came to Bonnie. That _jealousy_ that he didn't even bother trying to smother out of himself. He almost felt repulsed by it because of how animalistic and carnal his desires were for her. The tantric darkness that always threatened to eat away at what little sensibility he maintained when he was around her - that fierce witch who was the object of his affection these days.

He didn't know when this feeling for her felt like a parasite - the need to feed it, nurture it and let it eat away at his mind and soul. It was tantalizing and soul-crushing all in the same breath. Kai was almost positive that he was both disgusted and enthralled with these feelings - the need to both cage and set Bonnie free. She was both his and not his.

It truly was a double-edged sword.

But after sensing Bonnie's deadly magic - that flame that ignited him from the inside out - he had felt her jealousy and it almost made him laugh out in triumph. Because that meant that somewhere inside of her, she had a darkness blossoming in her as well. He wasn't alone.

Unfortunately, when Kai looked up and saw her nowhere to be found, his confusion set in. Where had she gone? Where did she go that quickly? His eyes spied the cab parked further down the driveway and after he gave Julian's youngest daughter his handkerchief, his legs were swiftly carrying him toward the cab. Had she seen him all the way at the end of the drive?

Kai felt a ripple of something as he dashed forward, as if he could sense Bonnie was close and not so close all in the same instance. It didn't take him long to reach the cab before it set off, his hand slapping onto the roof of the car as he tried to catch his breath. Kai hadn't even realized he'd been holding back air in his lungs in the first place.

"The woman you carried here," he breathed and the driver nodded. "Where is she?"

The driver pointed out the window. "She just left, man. I'm talkin' minutes."

Kai looked over his shoulder to see if he really had just missed Bonnie within seconds of them passing one another before looking back at the driver. "Just sit tight. We're not going to be here much longer ourselves."

"Sure thing, man."

Without wasting another second, Kai started his search across the grounds. Bonnie couldn't have gotten that far. And he could only hope he found her in a foul mood because if she was upset because of him, then he wanted to be the one to make her smile again. Or be on the receiving end of her ire. It had been a while since Bonnie and he had gotten into a magical tussle. He was starting to miss it.

God, he was so fucked up.

Rounding off to the back of the house, he could only assume that Bonnie was trying to hide again. While other times it amused him, this time he couldn't shake that feeling that she was really pissed off with him. But what didn't make sense was for her to hide it. She'd never bothered with it before and he certainly couldn't imagine her trying to keep it smothered down now. Kai knew it would be like pulling teeth to get her to open up about what was eating away at her inside, but it would be worth it. If only to see her nose flare again with another lie.

He quickly ascended the steps of the back porch, dodging a few other witches who were trying to gain his attention. He'd been receiving congratulations since the end of the ceremony and he was getting a crick in his damn neck from trying to keep his posture rigid versus showcasing his obvious displeasure with everyone and everything. Kai just wanted to get the hell out of this place with Bonnie in tow so he could suffocate her with his magic and his body - to watch her wriggle around and fighting him despite how much he knew she wanted his attention.

His heartbeat drummed furiously against his chest, a combination of worry for Bonnie and arousal with having her close. He reached out, trying to feel for her magic, only to frown when he hit a wall of sorts. Or, rather, he could sense her magical aura almost disappear. _What the hell?_

As he crossed the parlor, he saw his twin cradling a glass of orange juice and chatting with Andrea. Not one for social proprieties, Kai grasped his sister's wrist and pulled her away so he could corner her and talk with some semblance of privacy. "Have you seen her?"

Jo looked back at Kai, surprise and annoyance flashing across her face. "Who?"

"Bonnie."

His twin's expression changed to concern, craning her neck back and forth and trying to ascertain Bonnie's whereabouts. "I thought she was with you?"

"No, I sent her to the Archives just before the ceremony."

Jo gasped, her brows furrowing. "Are you crazy? You weren't even the official coven leader yet! How could you let Bonnie go to a place like that alone?!"

"She's fine. I knew she'd be fine. No one is stupid enough to try and get in Bonnie's way when she's on a mission."

"Yeah, I know," mused Jo, rolling her eyes. "I'm not worried about her. Unlike you, I know what Bonnie is capable of."

Kai smirked. "I'm not so sure about that."

"Kai," she said quietly, leaning forward so that it was just for their ears alone. "What are you planning to do, having Bonnie around like this? Do you really want her mixed up in our lives? With the Gemini?"

He shrugged, casually nodding to witches who placed their hands on him in faux congratulations. God, would people just quit fucking touching him?

"I know you've read about it in the Archives, Kai. Do you really think she'd want anything to do with us if _she's_ read anything about it?" She shook her head. "And after what you put her through, I'm surprised she hasn't snapped your neck."

"I've changed, Jo."

"I know that, but you have to understand that Bonnie has gone through a lot of stuff in her life. Things you and I can't even begin to understand."

"Look," he said calmly, balling his hand into a fist and pressing his knuckles slowly into the wall. "So what if I know? There wasn't like there was anything I could have done about it. There was nothing _we,_ " Kai pointed to his sister and to himself, "could have done for her. I was stuck in a prison world for almost twenty years and you didn't even have any magic, having sealed it away in a damn hunting knife so if anyone is to blame, it's our goddamn father." He paused, looking over his shoulder as a scowl began to settle over his features. "...speaking of the old man, where the hell is he?"

"Dad?" Jo looked around with her brother as Kai stepped away from the wall and they both gave a once over across the parlor. "I haven't seen him since we all dispersed from the ceremony grounds."

"No Bonnie and no Dad," seethed Kai, his eyes narrowing. "I can take a wild guess what the answer to this equation is."

Just as he took a step, Jo grabbed his arm and held him back. "Kai, wait!"

"What?!" he snapped, whirling back on his twin as his fury slowly began to mount. "You know what our dad's like!"

" _I know_ , _Kai_. Which is why you need to get your head on straight before you go off burning half of the Manfred's estate to the ground looking for Bonnie." Jo let Kai go, leaning back and taking a moment to think. "Pretty sure she's got to be close. Dad might have her somewhere off to herself, undoubtedly trying to get her to back off from you now that you're the Gemini leader."

He narrowed his eyes curiously at his twin. "What do you mean?"

"You think that just because you're the leader that you're not seen as a pawn to Dad anymore?" Kai raised his brows, almost in wonder at the wisdom coming from his sister. How could he have forgotten that their father was a wiz at chess? This was all still just a game to him. "Dad knows he can't control you, at least not directly. Tangle yourself with Bonnie, an outsider, and there will be no controlling you at all."

Kai's anger practically exploded in the back of his mind. "And he thinks he's going to be able to do that? _Control_ me?" His twin dropped her gaze. "How?"

Jo lifted her chin, her eye-line meeting his and hesitation dancing in her eyes. "...through marriage to another family."

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Miss Bennett," said Joshua quietly. "Go back to Mystic Falls and leave Malachai behind. There is no sense in getting yourself attached to someone like him. You're no good for each other."

Bonnie felt the muscle tick at her jaw and it soon became very clear just why Kai wound up being the person that he was when she'd met him in the 1994 prison world. There was no need for a long-winded explanation, despite having received one on Thanksgiving Day from Kai. But now that she was up close and personal with the monster maker, with Frankenstein himself, Bonnie was suddenly overcome with an inexplicable amount of sympathy and rage. Sympathy for the son and rage for the father.

She had half a mind to magically toss him off like a rag doll.

"I don't see how that is any of your business."

"Before Malachai merged with my son, Lucas, I didn't care what he did or who he decided to link himself up with. It was none of my concern and it never has been. Until now."

This time, Bonnie did manage to wrench her arm free and then straightened out the front of her skirt. "That's for Kai to decide. Not us."

Joshua smirked, shaking his head as though he'd heard an incorrect answer from a naive child and it made Bonnie's anger flare up even further. "Kai has spent nearly twenty years in isolation."

"And whose fault is that?"

"And even before that, he was separated from the family because of his...unique circumstances."

"Again, whose fault is that?"

"So," he said, his smug expression deepening. "His lack of experience makes his position precarious. Anything could lead to his downfall."

Bonnie scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. "You won't kill him. That would end all of you."

"No, I most certainly won't kill him." His pause made her curl her hands into fists. "But I also won't hesitate to do whatever it takes to ensure the safety of the coven before he ultimately winds up doing something foolish."

She laughed despite how serious this conversation was. "Kai may be impulsive, but he's not stupid. I'm sure he's already figured out you have something planned for him."

"He also seems to have some sort of attachment to you, which is a weak point that I'm more than willing to exploit."

Her eyes narrowed to slits at the underlying threat that he was insinuating. "Try it, _Mister_ Parker," she said calmly. "It won't be Kai you'll have to worry about if you think you can just put me down like some damn dog." She took a step toward him and even though she was shorter, despite the heels, Bonnie felt larger than life. "You have no idea what I'm capable of. Test me and I won't hesitate to make you regret it. You got that?"

There was a long spread of silence shared between the two of them. Bonnie didn't appreciate being threatened and she would showcase it soon enough if Kai's father tried to push her. She was done being threatened and she didn't care if she was in Gemini territory. She had to protect herself any way that she could.

Though, if it meant distancing herself from Kai to keep herself safe? Was it plausible? Would it even make sense? Kai had shown her, more often than not, that he wasn't going to allow for her to get hurt. But that didn't change the fact that he couldn't be everywhere at once. He couldn't protect her all the time. She had to protect herself.

"I can see why my son is so taken with you," Joshua finally said, raising his brows at her with curiosity. "You aren't afraid of him."

"I'm afraid of what he is capable of." She turned, barely giving Kai's father a sideways glance. "As should you if you try to threaten me to his face."

"When it comes to power and his supposed feelings, I'm afraid you put too much stock in those newly developed emotions he's obtained."

"And you don't give those feelings enough credit."

"Malachai will _always_ choose power over his heart."

"Then you don't know your son at all." Bonnie grinned, shaking her head as she let a hand rest on her hip. "Because if you did, you'd know Kai's the sort of person who wants his cake and to eat it too." If it were possible, she felt something akin to darkness swirling and overtaking her smile. "Because he's that selfish."

"She's right, Old Man," came Kai's voice from behind her, making Bonnie jump and turn on her heels quickly. A short noise was all she was able to produce as he grabbed her by the waist and all but slammed her into his broad side. "You know how much I hate making choices. I'd rather just take the whole pot."

Joshua sighed, folding his arms across his chest as he looked between Bonnie and his son. "I shouldn't be surprised that you found us so quickly."

"It wasn't hard. When I couldn't find Bonnie or you, it was only a matter of time before I figured out that you had snuck off somewhere with my guest." Kai _tsk_ ed at his father, gripping tighter to Bonnie's hip when she tried to pull away. "Aren't you always telling me to be proper? And then you go and treat my guest that way. I'm appalled."

"Send her back home, Malachai. The evening is not yet finished."

"Don't think I will, actually. I've had my fill of all these obligatory niceties. I'm calling it a night."

"Malachai-"

Bonnie pulled herself roughly from Kai's side, the movement sudden and unexpected so he wasn't able to pull her back to him like he had earlier. Taking a few shaky steps backward on her heels, she brushed her hands through her hair and tucked them behind her ears in a fidgeting motion. "No, you stay," she said, her tone clipped and with a frosty edge to it. Her eyes cut to Kai's father. "After all, you just became the coven leader officially. You're trying to set a precedence, aren't you?"

"Bon, what are you-"

She then lifted her gaze to Kai's and gave a pinched smile that she knew didn't meet her eyes. Not by a long shot. "Don't worry about me. I'm not feeling all that great and if I have any more wine put in me, I'll be useless." Bonnie moved to walk past Kai, stopping as he grasped her upper arm to halt her movements. She reached out, placing a hand on the back of his knuckles. "I'll see you back at the hotel. Don't be too upset if I don't wait up for you. I'm tired."

Bonnie slowly pried Kai's fingers from her arm, making her way back to the cab. She didn't even bother looking back. Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was the weight of Joshua Parker's words that was causing her energy to drain. Or maybe she was just tired of it all, period - of feeling like the outsider that she just wanted to get away. She couldn't be sure.

And yet there was a part of her that secretly was wishing that Kai would stop her from leaving. Or beg her to go with her back to the hotel. A part of her that was longing for his attention and craving for his touch in a way that was probably unhealthy. But Bonnie had agreed to let him in and now he was seeping into the crevices of her heart - that broken, damaged thing that she never even bothered to put back together over the years.

She climbed into the cab and told the driver to take her back to the hotel. She still refused to look out to see if Kai was looking back at her. Bonnie didn't know if she could take it if he was looking at anyone else but her - that jealous, nasty part of herself that demanded his attention so selfishly; to mark him as he'd marked her. Her hand moved slowly over her stomach as the cab driver pulled out of the driveway - her fingers ghosting over where she knew that mottled flesh was just below her left breast. The place where Kai had shot her with an arrow - the scar that was shaped perversely like a kiss mark.

Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back along the seat cushions. She just wanted this night to be over and done with. A hot shower and that warm hotel bed - that's all she needed. Upon arriving at the hotel, she quickly paid the driver and headed straight inside - bee-lining for the elevator as she greeted the night clerk with a half-wave and smile. The numbness overtook her, her mind on autopilot as she took out the key card and entered the room.

There was a soft rumble of thunder in the distance. It was going to rain soon.

Bonnie had showered and passed out, determined not to be caught up in the magnetic attraction and heat that was constantly sparking between them. She refused to acknowledge it or even cater to it on this night. She'd been embarrassed and even almost pushed to the depths of inadequacy. It angered her even more that she allowed for Joshua Parker's words to get to her. Like father like son. They were both scratching under her skin and making her angry. Making it impossible for her to ignore them just as it was impossible for her to ignore the current situation she suddenly found herself in.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Kai watched Bonnie walk away from him. He watched her head straight to that cab without a second glance his way. But he should have known that she'd be that way - that her damn pride wouldn't allow her to grant him the one thing he yearned for: her attention. If she had just looked back just once - had said his name _just once_ \- he would have knocked his father off to the side without hesitation and gone straight to her. Cursed this fucking night like the pain in the neck it was and carried her back to their hotel room where he would rob her of all senses until the morning sunlight peeled in through their hotel suite's window. He would have done it gladly.

But she never did.

Not once did she turn back and look at him. Not once did she call his name. Bonnie Bennett, that damn stubborn woman, got right in that cab and left him there without batting an eyelash.

He might have been offended if he didn't already know that there was something close to jealousy swirling around inside of her heart and threaded through her magic. He'd sensed it when she destroyed Andrea Manfred's champagne glass. He'd sensed it just before he had lifted the cloaking spell that his father had put around them. Kai would have been turning backflips from the notion had his father not brought him crashing back to reality.

"You are ruining that young witch."

Kai spun around, his hands swift like a bolt of lightning as he snatched up the lapels of his father's blazer. There was a flicker of fear in Joshua's eyes. He had a pretty good idea that the look in Kai's own sapphires mirrored something close to mania - the eyes of one who wouldn't hesitate to kill to get his point across. The man may have been responsible for being his sperm donor but to threaten anything that was his, to _deny him_ of anything that he wanted to claim for himself? Again?

Well, that was simply unacceptable.

"I'm not even going to bother trying to figure out what you said to Bonnie," he seethed, his gaze dark and threatening to match the tone of his voice. "But I bet it was laced with lies and an attempt to put a wedge between us. I would bet my fucking magic on it."

Despite the very hostile situation he was in, his father smirked at him. "So, you really _do_ feel something for that girl." Kai huffed a breath of air as his father's smirk widened, though there was anger flaring in his eyes. "It's a shame you didn't feel this same attachment to your own family before you murdered your brothers and sisters."

Kai could feel his smile spreading over his face like a madman. "You can pat your own self on the back for that. After all, coven before family, right?"

"And I still stand by that. And you should start embracing that same mentality. This isn't about your selfishness anymore, Malachai. You have dozens upon dozens of witches depending on you and you cannot afford to be reckless with your actions. Not anymore." Kai said nothing. He just continued to glare at his father as he, too, glared back at him. "...we all felt that moment when we'd thought you'd died."

"Well, as you can see, false alarm." He roughly released his father's coat. "Don't ever get in my way again. I always get what I want and I always win. You want what's best for the coven? Then you all better stay on my good side."

He turned away from his father, preparing to leave as he pulled out his cell phone to phone for another cab.

"Andrea Manfred seems quite taken with you."

"Good for her." Kai continued walking.

"The Bennett Witch is an outsider, Malachai. You can't expect her to understand the Gemini way."

Kai threw his head back and laughed, still walking away. "I'm the coven leader and I still don't understand the Gemini way."

But that was fine. Because he was going to change it. He was going to change everything.

No one was taking Bonnie from him. She was his and his alone.

 **Kai: _I'm omw. Be there soon._**

He waited on Bonnie to answer, but he still hadn't heard from her by the time another cab pulled up and he got in. Giving him the address to the hotel, Kai began fiddling with his phone. Checking the time, he saw that it was just half-past eleven. Surely she wasn't asleep. Not Bonnie the Night Owl.

 **Kai: _Bon? Are you there?_**

Still nothing. He decided to call and see if she'd answer. She had to be awake. There was no way. Unless Bonnie was still pissed at him? Or pissed at the situation? He wouldn't put it past her, really. The woman knew how to hold a grudge, that was for damn sure.

The ringing continued in his ears with no answer from her end. Kai was torn from outrage and worry. Had she left? Had she actually listened to his old man and decided to leave? To just turn her back on him - to leave him in a world that he didn't want to be stuck in against his will? To be trapped in another form of incarceration labeled obligation and duty for the coven that didn't give a fuck about him?

Pulling up to the hotel, Kai paid the driver and felt himself flying in through the sliding glass doors. He didn't greet the clerk at the front desk and he basically said "fuck it" to the elevators. His heart was pounding so hard in his ears, Kai wasn't sure if it was the sound of his feet thudding up the metal stairwell or something else. He heaved, the sweater he was wearing already too damn hot but he couldn't stop.

He ran all thirty of those flights of steps.

Frantically, Kai pulled out the key card to their room, slipping it inside and hearing the soft _beep_ as the lock released and he threw the door open. His eyes immediately began searching in the darkness for any sign of movement or lack thereof. "Bon?"

There was a shuffle by the bed, a soft groan as he heard Bonnie fumbling around before her fingers switched on the lamp perched on the bedside table. Kai felt the heavy weight on his chest lifting, not caring that he was barely keeping his breathing together. He watched her raise up on her elbows and squint her eyes at him from the sudden flood of light.

"Kai?" She sleepily scratched at the back of her head, picking up her phone to presumably look at the time. "What the hell?"

Kai could have laughed just then. From relief. From anger. From happiness. All of those feelings seemed to culminate into a strange melting pot in his gut and he wasn't sure if that was the food and liquor finally getting to him or something else entirely. As he watched Bonnie continue to sleepily fist her eye, he was already shrugging out of his coats and pulling the dark cashmere sweater up and over his head; tossing it off to the side as well so his bare chest was exposed.

Somewhere in her sleepy state, Bonnie must have sensed something happening because she suddenly sat fully upright and was kicking back on the bed - scrambling to get away. "What are you doing?"

He said nothing, already snapping the belt loose at the buckle and undoing the button at the front of his slacks with a simple flick of his wrist. Bonnie got halfway tangled in the bed sheets, struggling up onto her feet so that she was standing on the mattress and glaring down at him. She was definitely awake now and so was Kai - another part of him was awake and alive and flaring with magic - desperate to feed her and to be fed _by her_ in a way to validate that ugly little monster that was sleeping so patiently in him after all these months.

The need to mark and possess was consuming him.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

He never took his eyes off of her. Even as he kicked his shoes off and let his trousers fall to his ankles, Kai's eyes stayed locked onto Bonnie's and she took another step back on the mattress. It sank under her weight, but just barely, and she could sense that she only had about a handful of steps left on the California King before she wound up on the floor. But Bonnie refused to break the eye contact they had - watching Kai's chest rise and fall with extreme pulls of air from his body. The sheen of sweat on his body was clear now that light flooded the room from the amber light coming from the bedside lamp.

Kai took another step forward and, again, Bonnie took another step back. A larger step backward, in fact, now that she saw he was just at the edge of the bed. He didn't say anything. Neither did she. Just the pulse of their magic existed in that large space and the heavy rhythm of their breathing: Kai's was lack of air from probably running and hers from how his very presence was sucking the very air from her lungs.

Watching him stalk around the bed like a predator, clad in just his black boxer briefs, it made Bonnie's core heat up and she knew it would be seconds before the tell-tale wetness would soon coat her panties. She could feel her back start to sweat, the simple black tank top she wore clinging to the space between her shoulder blades. When he was completely at the foot of the bed, Bonnie hopped off the edge and tried to make a run for it. The last thing she wanted was to be caught by Kai when she was feeling like this. Her anger and shame and pride wouldn't let her seek out his affection and his bruising fingers and searing heat.

No, she wanted none of that. None of it!

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

That magnetic push and pull of their magic swirled in the room.

Kai was _furious_ that his father put his hands on her. He was _furious_ at the revelation that Jo made. He was _pissed_ that Bonnie didn't even bother a secondary glance as she walked away from him. There was this strange sensation that welled inside of him at the sight. It reminded him of the prison world; that lost opportunity to show her that he'd changed. A hand swept behind him, absently rubbing at the scar where she stabbed him that time.

His eyes were murky as he stalked her retreat on the bed. His chest heaving from rapid breaths as his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. His teeth bared as air hissed between them. Kai was a mixture of emotions, but the one that was causing this? The one that made him sick to the pit of his stomach. That had him forgo the elevator to get to this room?

It was fear.

He was _scared_ that Bonnie had left _for_ _good_ because of his father's meddling. The thought of it, of her leaving him again? It stirred a level of malevolence inside of him that he hadn't been prepared for. He pondered all the ways he could make his father pay for this. That he _would_ make him pay had he returned to an empty room. But thank the gods, it wasn't empty. It was full of a sleepy, beautiful, green-eyed Bennett Witch.

And he wanted her, _now_. There was a subtle bubbling in the paint of the room the further she tried to get to him. "Bonnie." His voice was a heated growl as he watched her get closer to the edge of the bed. As if sensing his intention? She made a run for it and the predator made his move.

 _"Motus."_ He reached out for her as his magic flared to life. When she lifted for the next step she was pulled back to him. There was a growl of sound as he caught her around the waist and turned back to the bed. She could kick, scream, scratch and curse his name as she landed in a sheet covered lump on the bed.

The magic that crackled and swelled and smothered the room was unmistakable. Kai was feeling something and Bonnie couldn't help but reach out with her own magic to caress against his. He could feel it - almost taste it in the air. A sharp gasp was all she was able to give when their energies touched, fighting each other.

Was it always going to be like this? Was their magic constantly going to be battling and attempting to swirl and dominate over the other? Trying to see who would be able to choke out the other before the proverbial shoe dropped?

He watched her like a cat captivated by the futile struggle of a mouse under its paw.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Kai's eyes were intense - borderline manic. What in the world happened for him to come running up there to her like that in the late night hours? But she could only guess so many variables that were responsible for such a reaction. So many questions and she already knew that every single answer to those said questions was her. She was the reason he was like this. She was the reason for this sudden change and barely controlled grip on his emotions. She was the root of it all.

And that _thrilled her_ more than she could stand.

The clear command in his voice, the way her name rolled off his tongue and rumbled from his throat sent a shock wave of pleasure shooting up her back - causing the hairs on the nape of her neck to raise up. But as she tried to run past him, his magic latched onto her and Bonnie wasn't sure if she wanted to scream or laugh. Was this what this feeling was? Why was she so excited?! As Kai flipped her back around onto the bed, she began to flail - trying to break free.

She landed on the bed with a bounce and scrambled to the foot of the bed as he removed his boxer briefs. Bonnie's eyes went wide as she felt everything swelling around them - the intensity of the moment as well as their magic. The chase, her scent, the roar of magic had him throbbing hard and erect. She watched Kai crawl onto the bed and grabbed for her legs - her muscles tightening as she tried to resist. Something was happening! What was happening?!

"What's the matter with you, Kai?!"

It was all Bonnie could manage to get out of her before Kai was grabbing onto her ankles and yanking her forward. A short scream pushed out from her as he dragged her forward, pulling him to his heat and her eyes widened with anticipation mixed in with dread. Had he lost his mind? Had he lost his fucking mind? Another great pull had her yanked under him so he could pin her hands to either side of her head. The crackle of energy around him was so much _more_ since accepting the mantle of Coven Leader. That much was apparent.

Somehow she managed to kick her legs free. Rolling onto her knees, Bonnie scrambled up to the head of the bed, trying to get away from Kai. She may have been excited, but there was a part of her that wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel about any of this other than the need to flee. Because as exciting as this was, she couldn't escape that feeling of apprehension as his smoldering gaze threatened to overtake her. But, even still, it was a whirling dance of their energies pulling and pushing at each other.

"Bonnie. I _need_ you."

Her magic roared to life, crackling and splintering across the space between them as she tried to kick herself free when he grabbed her again. But it wasn't until he spoke of his need, his need for her, did she finally calm down.

One hand slid down her arm, along her rib cage to the flare of her hip. This wasn't a dream and she was still here. He lifted her leg along the side of his body as he pressed against the moistened center of her panties. He was already reaching between her legs to slide the fabric aside and her heart rate elevated even further. Kai's gaze was dark as he hovered at the heat of her body. His other hand slid down the opposite arm until he cupped the base of her neck, bringing her erratic nerves down a measure. However, it was only a slight reprieve from her mounting terror and confusion before the cold air touched her warm center.

"Kai, wait!" He leaned down to smother her resistance in a fiery kiss as he rocked into her body.

Bonnie's words were lost into the cavern his mouth as he slammed into her with a kiss, followed by a deep thrust straight into her. A short, shrill whimper pushed out from her chest and she tried to wring her wrists free from the hold he had them in. Pulling her face from his, she was able to break the kiss long enough to catch her breath.

Despite how her body was breaking out in goosebumps from all the high tension, her core burning and getting wet between her folds, Bonnie's outrage seemed to have overshadowed it all.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Need.

Need.

He needed her.

There was no other way he could put it.

How could he tell her that woman meant nothing?

How could he tell her that his father meant nothing? That she shouldn't listen to him? That she shouldn't be afraid of him? Not to be mad at _him?_ That whatever it was he would fix it, he would _try?_

But he wanted her; wanted her to stay. This blinding furious need to have her with him. He wanted to feed it, to feed her this emotion; this sensation. This _fear_ that was eating him from the inside. His tongue swirled with hers and her body wrapped around him.

A groan. A sound. But it stopped - _she_ stopped. His eyes were dark and murky as she pulled his face from hers.

"Get off me!"

There it was again. Her words knocked him out of that emotional fugue, the clouding of his very judgment as a startled look passed over his face. His brow furrowed and he stopped _immediately_ to withdraw. He didn't just withdraw physically. Kai felt himself withdrawing completely as he ran a hand through his hair. The muscle ticked in his jaw as he came to his senses.

He was full and he just realized it. All those people touching him. Carrying over energy from the ceremony itself, even his own emotions seemed like a magical conduit. And now he did the one thing he _swore_ he wouldn't do. His hands balled into fists as he almost scurried back from the bed; from her. He put balled fists against his eyes as he tried to let the words that Jo spoke burn out of the back of his skull. To tune out his father's voice.

"Bon, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean-..."

Slowly. Oh so slowly, Kai was starting to change his mind on the prospect of longer years for his father.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

He pulled out of her, leaving her empty and her body quivered in protest. Her body wanted him back. Her core was almost sobbing from the absence of him and as he retreated back, Bonnie's hand flew out with a quickness and snatched at his wrist. Normally it was Kai who was performing this action on her, but it was clear that he wasn't himself. Just what had that ceremony entailed?

"Kai, what the hell's gotten into you?"

"Too much."

Fear.

Overwhelming and everlasting. It coated the inside of her mouth and the depth of her throat, sliding down her esophagus like it was a spoonful of medicine she didn't want to even take. But it slipped down into her gut and threatened to choke her from the inside out.

There was a wildness in Kai's eyes that she wasn't prepared for. What startled her more was the equally crazed expression darting over her own face - looking back at her from being reflected in his eyes. Magic was roaring and jumping and skipping rope between them and she didn't even know whose magic was whose anymore. Kai's was mixed in the middle, as was hers, but so were various other energies swirling around in that small space between them.

Bonnie's eyes narrowed in question, trying to not appear accusatory. "What does that mean?" Her heart was thundering against her chest with such a fierce rhythm that she couldn't stop her voice from sounding like a rasped out simpering noise. Bonnie's nails dug into his skin, bringing him down from the mountain of magic he'd seemed to have ascended up. She waited for him to speak, too focused on calming her own erratic nerves to speak. So she waited.

"He - ...fuck! He still gets to me anyway!"

All Bonnie could do was sit with her legs curled up under her, watching as Kai continued to fight back with something struggling to claw its way out to the surface. Was it the old him? That murderous fiend that was trying to break free from whatever constraints Kai had put on himself? What chains and shackles that Luke had fought to constrain?

His words were broken. Angry. She'd seen this outrage just before Bonnie had sent her magic up with Ms. Cuddles, attempting to thwart his plans from being able to escape 1994 and return to the present with her. She had barely flinched when he threw his book bag with a ferocity that she had never seen him unleash - like when she had stopped them from breaking free and had sent Damon home in their place.

So much pent up anger - the danger of his walls cracking a very _real issue_ that was attempting to dredge itself up from whatever walls Kai had put up around himself.

"Too many people _touching_ me, trying to talk and yap in my ear. I kept trying to find you, so many _fucking_ people. Then Jo..." He grit his teeth with a balled fist. "Jo tells me some bullshit about an arranged marriage to another family. Then we put two and two together and there you were with _him_." His eyes were dark as he looked at her but Bonnie simply kept her gaze locked with his, waiting for him to finish. "It took everything inside of me, Bon, to not obliterate him on the spot. I don't know what he told you." He reached a tentative hand for her face and fell short.

Her eyes twitched when she saw his hand moving for her face, but that was it. She didn't flinch back or shove him away. No. Bonnie said she was going to give him another shot at redemption. He was fighting against his old nature, despite the threats that were falling from his lips without hesitation. Her eyes danced between his, trying to find even one smidgen of falsehood in his pale blue eyes.

Bonnie just watched and listened, her grip neither strengthening nor loosening its hold. She didn't know what would happen if Kai managed to get the jump on her again. There was residual magic bleeding out of him from the ceremony. Just what the hell were the Gemini and their fucked up customs doing to their leaders - the ones who were supposed to protect and guide them? And here she was thinking that Expression was a bad seed that had been planted in her. Just what kind of greenhouse was building itself inside of Kai?

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Sweat dotted his brow as he realized the strain he was putting on himself. A strain to stay in control? To not turn and leave that hotel in a murderous rage? The shreds of it were thin and barely lasting. He sucked in a breath as her nails dug into his skin. He tried to shake those words, the implications, and the possibilities from his head. Kai let his head fall back as he growled at the ceiling. His muscles tight as he fought to not direct any of this at Bonnie. He was still as a statue and holding himself in check as his head started to clear.

Kai managed to soothe the frantic beast inside of him.

Just barely.

"I won't let him. I won't let him use me. I won't let him send you away. I won't _let him_ ruin..." He bit back his words as he tried to fight the still swirling emotions inside of him.

He sank to his knees on the edge of the bed as Bonnie held him firm. He spilled his soul and all his fears. He felt the drain of pent-up magic finally ebbing. His heartbeat thudded against his rib cage and his body was covered in a fine sheen of sweat. By the time Bonnie released him, he felt human again. Breathing slowed, the racing in his mind had ceased.

He watched Bonnie flexing her fingers in an attempt to ease the burning in her hand from their magic as well as the quick tension of the muscles. Kai rolled his wrist so that he could do the same. He trembled as the fury that rode him started to simmer away.

But then she spoke. Oh, gods above. And what she said? It sent his anger into a tailspin all over again.

"He told me to go back to Mystic Falls without you," she said calmly. Too calmly. "He said that I'm your weakness, one that he's willing to exploit. That you'd always choose power over your heart because that's the kind of monster you are."

Kai's eyes were as wide as saucers as he stared at her. "He said _what?_ " That he'd exploit the weakness? That he'd choose power over Bonnie? The sentence made him sick, made him nauseous. Because the old Kai? The one concerned with self-preservation? He could have. He would have. And at one point? He _had_. It caused his brow to knit as she smirked.

"Bonnie, I would never..." His hands balled into fists against the bed as his chin dropped to his chest. "...I could never, not again. Not now. Not when I'm so _close_." He knew that the changes were coming now. That these things would continue to mount and he would continue to grow.

He watched Bonnie tilt her head to the side, a smirk touching the corners of her lips. "A real charmer, your dad."

Kai angrily clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth. "He's an asshole is what he is. A sooner-dead-than-later asshole. I'm not marrying some simpering branch bitch to fall in line for what he wants from me?!" There was the flare of magic, this one was different. This one was a subtle, concentrated flare; malevolent as Kai turned his gaze toward the door. Pondering - considering how fast he could make it back to the Manfred Mansion.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

When Bonnie felt his magic flare to life, the way that his eyes bulged out of his head, she couldn't stop herself from searching for the lie in his eyes. Was there a lie? While she had decided to trust him to some kind of degree, there was still that lingering mistrust. That doubt that wanted to eat away at the back of her mind. Bonnie's hand curled into a fist at her thigh, waiting for Kai to process what had just been told to him. She needed some kind of clarification. She needed to know that this, at least this part of Kai Parker, was real; was genuine.

She watched him searching for something - as if he were digging around in himself. He wouldn't deny it. Not right away. That would make it seem like denial. But Bonnie waited, not realizing she had been holding her breath.

 _Close to what?_ she thought, not sure if an outright retort would be the best course of action when she could sense the heavy pulse of his magic all but pushing against her chest.

When she saw him facing the door, his outrage practically bleeding from him, Bonnie felt a knot growing in her chest that was actually starting to hurt. But for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why it was hurting so bad. Her breath was locked up inside of her sternum. Bonnie wasn't sure if she even remembered how to breathe automatically anymore.

"I should have _killed_ him during that ceremony. I should have jammed that athame into his heart and _ripped it out_." The inhumane depth of his voice and the tucking of magic close to his body caused Bonnie's own magic to shiver in response.

Shaking her head, she reached out and touched his face, her thumb rolling across the light scruff around his jaw. He simmered down for a moment when her fingers settled against his skin. The energy was calming down if only just a small measure.

"Your world is bigger than just you now, Kai. You have to think about what's best for your coven since their lives _literally_ depend on you." Her fingers lingered for a moment before she let her hand fall into her lap. But she maintained her gaze, training it on Kai. "You can't afford to be selfish anymore. Not if you're trying to be different from the person you used to be."

"It's not selfish, Bon. I can't..." He balled his hands against the bed. "...I don't want him to come between us. I don't want him to _use_ you. You've had enough of that to last _both_ our lifetimes. My promise to make sure nothing happens to you extends to all things, Bonnie. I want to give you..."

His face contorted as he fought with the words. Strange. It wasn't like him to struggle with words. Not like this. He was clearly battling with something and she couldn't help but be curious - to want to poke and prod and see just how much truth was here versus an act. Was he faking this? Bonnie hoped not.

It shouldn't have surprised her, his violent outburst. Despite his change, Kai was still Kai. There was still that underlying residual madness that was always threatening to lash out at any given moment. She could sense it. He knew she could sense it too. Perhaps that was why he was trying so hard to draw himself away from her, yet remain close. It was strange. All of these feelings, even from her - from someone so used to feeling things - it still felt foreign and wrong.

Yet Bonnie had told him that she wouldn't leave him alone again. And she certainly wouldn't allow for him to get shipped off to another prison world. Not when he was making decent strides to fix the person that he was - the broken bits. But Kai had still retained parts of himself that he genuinely liked. He was a survivor. Like her. He wanted to fight to live.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

It was hard to be so open with her when he could barely put a name to the things he fucking felt!

 _Dammit. DAMMIT!_

He should have killed him.

He should kill him.

"I'm going to kill him." The muscle ticked in his jaw as he stared at the door again. "...I've worked too hard to get you to trust me this far. They won't die if I'm not dead. But as for him?" He shook his head. "I'm not letting him use you or _me_ to do anything. I won't risk him jamming me back in a prison world for not dancing to his tune." Shreds of Old Kai on the New Kai path - there wasn't a lie there. He believed his father was now a threat to what he wanted most.

To _who_ he wanted most.

He was sure that this was the moment.

All the things that he had suffered at his father's hand? All the bullshit that culminated into years in a prison world? He lived through all of it; survived all of it. Bonnie Bennett _changed_ him and made him see something other than himself. And he saw her, found her, in the process. Now at the verge of understanding why she mattered to him? On the verge of becoming the person that she could trust - that she could love?

Joshua Parker had to go and fuck everything up by threatening her. Choosing power over his heart? The man must be out of his skull! There was a click of teeth as he began to edge off the bed. Bonnie was his heart _and_ his power, of this he was growing more sure. And he would not let his father or anyone else get in the way of this discovery.

The grinding of his teeth was audible and his gaze hard as he silently pondered the way to do it. He was prepared, more ready at that moment than any in his life.

But, alas. Joshua Parker was saved by an angel. A warm, beautiful, green-eyed angel.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Kai saw Bonnie reaching out with both of her hands and she grasped his face - pulling him toward her in a fierce kiss. Lips pressed hard against his in order to match the furious magic that swirled around them.

When Bonnie pulled him into the kiss, he couldn't deny her. His eyes were wide at the shocking motion. She made the move and it threw him off kilter. He was partially torn between dashing away to do the deed. To rid the planet of Joshua Parker. But he could feel that new side of him, that new Kai whipping his head in her direction. She was all that mattered. There was a shaky moan as he returned the kiss. Kai's hands settled on her shoulders before cupping her neck, his tongue dipping between her lips to dance inside of her mouth.

Bonnie didn't have to say it. Kai knew. _She_ was angry at being threatened. He was angry at her _being_ threatened.

They could be angry together.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Bonnie could read him better than she used to. Maybe it was because of all the time they had been spending together. Maybe it was because she just couldn't escape the fact that he had gotten under her skin. But one thing was certain, she had definitely gotten under his. It was inescapable. It was undeniable.

Kai Parker got to her - _bothered her_ \- and Bonnie knew she hated it. She hated it more that she couldn't ignore it. That she couldn't ignore him.

He was changing her too. Changing her to see that darker side of herself that she had been trying to ignore for the last couple of years.

That darkness was taking control of her - latching onto her and telling her to get pulled into his gravity. Just the way she had snatched at his wrist to keep him from running. It urged her to kiss him when she knew that he was going to jump ten steps back after taking two steps forward. This side of Bonnie was impulsive and dark and lonely and didn't want to let Kai do something brash to get himself hurt.

This Kai? Well, she was crazily willing to take a few more risks for.

Sucking in air through her nose, Bonnie let her nails scratch through the stubble on his jaw and pulled him into her - their chests pressed hard against one another as she tried to figure out where to let her hands go. So she slid them from his jaw, gasping and moaning in a single breath as her fingers slid along the back of his head to dip into the dark tresses of his hair.

She would be hard pressed to deny her physical urges. It was difficult. Seeing Kai in all of his muscled, handsome glory would be hard for any woman to deny. But Bonnie was stubborn. She was the one who kept certain things sacred in herself. Caroline had once accused her of being a prude once. She had almost believed her. It had been a joke, but Bonnie often wondered if that were true.

Was she?

But feeling Kai's body against hers - the hardness of his muscles, the stubble on his face as it both smoothed and scratched up against her skin - every single inch of her was coming alive and burning with sensations she wasn't sure she ever wanted to stop feeling in her life. Because between them, between the natural _flames_ that existed in their own bodies, their magic called out to each other. It was desiring to dance and overwhelm and overtake the other in a desperate need to belong and to control and to enrapture. Bonnie had never felt this way with Jeremy simply because he did not possess magic. This was different. This was electrifying.

This...was _terrifying_.

Yet as Bonnie felt Kai's mouth on hers, his lips moving from her own to her neck and then her chest and over the fabric of her shirt, she felt more comfortable in this terror than in the safety of what she had once deluded herself to being her everyday life. Kai was right. She had wanted to be normal for so long and had longed for that sense of normalcy. But it wasn't hers to grasp. It wasn't hers to claim.

Because that wasn't the sort of life where she belonged.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

The little minx stole his reason.

His brows knits as he continued to kiss her, drinking in all of her sounds. There was a growl lingering inside of him as she pulled him closer. It felt like she was trying to pull him _through_ her. He was mashed against the softness of her body and he gave up. Any attempt to hold onto the anger, the rage? It all dissipated as his hips bumped into her own.

"Bonnie."

Her hands tangled through his hair as he wrapped an arm around her to drag her upward on the bed. She stole the air from his lungs with each kiss. He could feel a renewed vigor as she sank him back into that state of wanting her. He had her settled higher on the bed amongst the pillows. His kisses broke so he could trail teeth and tongue along her chin and the column of her neck. His lips grazed over the swell of her breast once more.

His teeth set a gentle imprint of her nipple through that tank top. Kai let his gaze slide upward to her face. He wanted to see all of the things he made her feel. And suddenly he realized - this was fine. He was okay that she stopped him. It caused a slight smirk to curl near the side of his mouth.

Because his father had underestimated Bonnie Bennett's _true_ power - and that might be more fun in the long run.

She opened her eyes, biting back another moan as she looked down at him. Kai smiled and watched as her lips pursed together while her brows furrowed suspiciously. It made his smile widen.

"What are you smirking at?" she asked, her voice thick with desire.

She wasn't even aware of how much she wanted him. But _he_ was. Keenly aware of it. It turned him on so much to the point of it being unreasonable.

How had he let it get to this point? It was something beyond him and beyond his control. She did things to him and he wanted to do things to her. His fingers trailed down the sides of her body and tucked at the edges of her tank top. He pulled, tugged, and tongued at the sensitive bud underneath. His lips sailed over her collarbone and down to the opposite breast to lavish the same attention.

Kai could have made a permanent home there nestled between the valley of her breasts.

She didn't realize she made the first move, did she? His smirk grew wider as his fingernails scraped at her skin with the drag of the tank top. "I like it when you make moves on me. You should do it more often." The lowered depth of his voice was a whisper of air over her moistened skin.

The tank top was pushed up just so that the bottoms of her breasts were exposed. He let his mouth trail the undersides and down each side of her rib cage. "I think I should get mad a lot more. That's your patented Stop-Kai-From-Doing-Something-Really-Stupid power move, and I consent to constant..." A bite to her ribs. "...repeated..." He moved down to dip his tongue into her navel. "...use."

When he rolled her shirt up her body, Bonnie dug her fingers into the mattress and tugged at the sheets with a fierceness that he was sure she could scarcely recognize. "You would barely know what to do with yourself if I did," she murmured, her voice low as she tucked her chin down to look at him. To see what he was confident was a half gloating expression painted on his person.

There was a dangerous chuckle at her words as he continued to touch and tease her. His fingers thumbed into the waistband of her panties, his nostrils flaring over the spot of obvious desire. "May I?"

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Bonnie was doing her best not to squirm under his touch. The way that his nails raked along her skin made her breath hitch at the back of her throat and it made her knees lock forward and knock into Kai's broad shoulders. But because of his placement, she wasn't able to break free or at least close him off from all the affection she was getting. His answer to her question made her scoff, biting her lower lip in response - her gaze hooded and she zeroed in on his face as he took his precious time moving along her body.

She wanted to hit him.

Her hips rolled up, her stomach descending at the feel of his tongue inside of her navel, lapping up the small dip and Bonnie could feel the heat pooling down from her head all the way down to her feet. The lamp by the bed flickered rapidly, plunging the room into darkness before brightening it like a blessed, heavenly light awash in amber tones.

Kai's breath was hot on her center and it took everything in her not to roll her hips up into his mouth. No. He was trying to goad her on and she was going to explode. Suddenly, Bonnie's hand reached out and grasped at his hair near the front of his head - fingers curling into a fist so she could stop him from proceeding further. Slowly, she licked the swell of her bottom lip so she could look at him - _really_ look at him and her lids fell just a little bit further.

She took a breath. Inhaled. Exhaled.

"No."

And then her nostrils flared.

 _Damn him._

He was right.

He had paid far too much attention to her. Just as much as she had paid attention to him. She'd felt her nostrils flaring and mentally cursed herself for giving that part of herself away. Nobody else who wasn't a vampire could tell she was lying. Only he had been able to. And it frustrated the hell out of her.

Bonnie tried to lock her knees again - half groaning and half moaning that his shoulders continued to be an obstacle for her.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

The lock of her knees against his shoulders made his stomach do loops. He could smell the heat of her essence, his mouth watering as he thumbed at the waist of her panties. The blasted sliver of fabric keeping him from what he _wanted_. There was a puff of air from his mouth as he waited for her to acquiesce.

And then? She didn't. The decline didn't upset him. It didn't make him mad. It made him _hard_ as his eyes darkened, forcing his gaze upon her face. There it was, that little dark streak. Kai's tongue mimicked her motion, traveling over the swell of his lips. His thumbs unhooked from the waistband as he groaned.

"Ah, I see. The queen obviously prefers more attention then, yes? I can oblige." He moved upward uncaring about the hair in her hands. The grin he flashed was dangerous. He licked against that moist spot on the tip of his tongue, dancing along the outline of her folds. "Just scream my name when you're ready, Bon." He opened his mouth and sucked furiously as if trying to pull the taste of her through the fabric. His tongue then slid up and over her abdomen.

A clipped sound expelled from Bonnie as he sucked and pulled at her folds _on top of her panties_ and if it were even possible, he could feel her getting wetter. The temperature was steadily rising and Kai couldn't shake the tremor that ran up and down his back. He heard Bonnie's breathing grow more labored as she tried to steady both it and the heavy hammering of her heart. Or was that his heart? He wasn't sure anymore.

A weak noise was given, his voice murmuring her name along her panties and he felt her hand slipping from his hair to grip onto the taut muscles at his shoulder.

More.

More of that reaction. He wanted it. The soft gasps and resistance to his charms. He wanted it all because it was so much more delicious when she gave in. He wanted to earn this surrender, this _ruin_ between them. Of course, she didn't anticipate his move. She didn't think about ways for him to get to her. There was that dark sound rumbling inside of him as she dug her fingers into his shoulders. He always found himself leaning into the pinching pressure of her nails.

He wanted those half-moon marks all across his skin. This was the third time they'd been together and it was strange. How had that scar managed to evade his sight? But where he was? From his vantage point, it stuck out like mottled reminder of who he was. While her face, her scent, and her sound was the proof of who he was _becoming_.

His fingers slid up her skin as the wallpaper began to bubble around them. He let his face slide against the silk of her skin. He inhaled the heat from her body as he left glistening, teasing trails against her skin. The tank top finally pushed above the swell of her breast, exposing her. His fingers brushed against the raised patch of skin and it gave him pause.

It felt strange to touch it, the place where that arrow pierced her flesh. A mark of a past he wanted to escape? Or forget? Kai brushed his lips against that scar with a reverence that scared even him.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Calling her a queen. It was a tease. He was mocking her! He may as well have called her a princess to keep the joke going.

To emphasize her displeasure, Bonnie's grip tightened on his hair - tugging at the roots as her lips parted. This power. This control. This _hunger_ to bruise and mark him was scary, an inner yearning that she hadn't even realized had been building. There was a part of her that wanted to hold him close, to tell him that what his father had to say about him held no weight so long as he didn't believe it...

And then there was that part of Bonnie that she would sooner turn away from - not acknowledge despite the parasitic drive to consume and devour him until there was nothing left of Kai Parker; to erase him from the world and selfishly hold him inside of her where no one else could see.

But when his lips kissed that mottled skin was when Bonnie felt her temperature and heart rate rise in panic. A slow, rolling "No" was all she could give as her other hand snaked over his wrist and gripped onto it tightly. She attempted to roll her body over, to get his mouth away from that scar; that moment when he'd marked her for eternity. No magic could heal it away. It was burned there forever - a reminder of what kind of lengths Kai was willing to go to stop her from leaving him.

Fear clamped at her throat like a vice and Bonnie closed her eyes, flashes of Kai's dark, cold smirk filling her mind. That younger version of himself that was so calculating and cruel. She had been on the receiving end of his cruelty and the feeling caused her magic to soar into the air - shattering the lamps on either side of the bed as the door to the bathroom groaned on its hinges in protest.

Another moan. This time one of fear and pleasure. She tried to turn away again as her head thrashed back and forth. No. This was crazy! She wanted him. Bonnie wanted him and had wanted him more with each day since the first time they had slept together. But that want made her feel almost inhuman. How could she want the man who had tried to kill her? Whom she, herself, had tried to kill?

God, she was absolutely fucked up beyond measure...

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

He felt the sudden rush of magic in the room when she shifted. He heard the 'No' and the confusion of pleasure and fear. She thrashed and he moved to give her room. She rolled away and he pinned her to the bed.

"Bonnie."

His voice a low sound, a moan of want and need as he grabbed her hand.

Kai moved her hand to the thick throb of the erection jutting from his body. The wallpaper began to bubble and peel away as his magic swirled and danced with hers. "Bonnie, wherever you are - come back to me." His hips shifting against her hand. Didn't she realize how much power she had over him?

Didn't she realize how much he was giving to her? Didn't she see everything he laid down at her feet?

He shifted in her palm, the friction bringing her magic to the forefront and making him feel alive. The air tensed for a split second and then snapped - the tension like a rubber band and pulling her from the dregs of whatever mental battle she was having as her eyes began to focus back to him. To that smoldering look that Kai was giving her. To show her just how much he wanted her - to the point where it was driving him to near madness all over again.

Her fingers curled into the base of his erection, feeling the heat and the steady pulse of his heart. Bonnie seemed lost in a magical haze heightened by the furious sexual energy surrounding them both. The softly muttered denial of _something_ had his concern rising. His fingers dug into her skin trying to center her. Kai tried to drag her back to now, to the moment, to this bed. He suddenly regretted that movement, that motion of brushing his lips against that star-shaped scar. It was sort of a twisted beginning for both of them.

There was a deep groan that tested the lower register of his voice into her ear. He felt her hands around him causing him to buck, just a bit.

"Fuck, _B_ _onnie_..."

His want for her defied all logic. It defied all reason.

And despite the merge, Kai didn't care.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Noise.

Noise.

There was so much noise!

Blood roaring in her ears, the sound of her heartbeat thundering against her chest and threatening to burst from her chest cavity. Over and over again it ached and pulled and pushed against her lungs and rib cage. It overwhelmed her to the point that she barely was aware that Kai had already pinned her back to the bed.

"No," was all she could mutter; all she could push from between her teeth as her eyes closed tightly. Her head was aching and she was only aware of the heat inside of her palms as she heard Kai calling out to her.

Everything was too loud!

Her name fell from his lips with such dark purpose that Bonnie nearly gave in to him. Lie. Truth. All of it be damned. She didn't care. If it meant hearing him calling out to her in that manner, Bonnie would eat up whatever lies he spoke and cradle them to her chest as if they were the truth. The only truths that would ever exist in her life.

He was calling to her and she heeded the call. Her other hand moved to draw her panties down to her knees and she felt some kind of longing that pushed against her folds. Bonnie's hand left Kai's erection and both of her hands were grasping at his face, nails digging into the curve of his jaw. "Did you really mean what you said?" Her eyes searched his for some kind of lie. That darkness, that coldness that she had always attributed to Kai Parker. "Did you mean it when you said you were sorry for everything that you'd done to hurt me?"

Tears sprung up in her eyes - angry tears despite the need her body was craving; the touch she was wanting so badly to the point that it was making her sick. Reminding her of the sliver of jealousy that had sprung up when that female witch had almost grasped at the lapels of Kai's coat. "Did you mean it...when you said you're not going to hurt me anymore. Did you?"

Kai continued to hold her by her hips and stared down at her - both of them breathing while simultaneously attempting to hold their breaths. He had her on her side as much as she could - letting her roll that scant space away from him. Bonnie searched for a semblance of a lie, an untruth - and he had none. There was nothing there and she couldn't stop the choked out noise that came from her. She saw the sudden glitter in his eyes as he tried to hold himself together - watching him wrangle with what control he was maintaining inside of himself. Her eyes were a frantic reflection in his darkened eyes.

She grabbed his hand, shoving his palm on the underside of her breast so he could feel the scar there. That mark that he'd left. That mark that would forever brand her; to serve as a constant reminder of what he'd done. Of the first real connection they ever had and on such a violent raw tilt of the planet.

"Bonnie, I swear it. On everything I am. On everything I will become or so help me I'll rip my own heart out and hand it to you. I will _never_ , _ever_ hurt you..." His voice dropped as his eyes darkened further. The wallpaper peeled, floated and evaporated into the air. "...or let anyone else hurt you. Ever. Again." His hand was still over the scar as he made the oath. He leaned down to kiss away her fears as he finally slid inside of her, ending both of their torment and sealing his fervent promise.

His promise seemed almost unreal; too good to be true. It damn near shattered her heart and Bonnie wanted to call him a liar. How could he, Kai Parker, declare something so open and so honest? It wasn't true. There had to be a lie there!

There was a part of her that wanted him to lie to her. A part of her that wanted the old Kai to take control and bring all of her fears to light. It was so strong, and it beat so loudly across her entire body that she swore the room was going to burst into flames with her wish to have it be a lie; to desire the truth to disappear from his gray-blue eyes. She wished for it so hard that it nearly shattered her heart to see the lack of false pretenses dancing in his depths.

But as he dropped his hand over the kiss-shaped scar on her body, the mottled skin tight from having healed from the damage, Bonnie felt her magic churn through the air and knocked over the simple writing desk in the corner of the suite. A chair flew into a wall when his lips crashed into hers, his entire length sliding into her and it caused her to moan into his mouth upon entrance.

It didn't hurt as it did satisfy and dissolve her fears - feeling something reach that far for the first time in forever. It felt like a lifetime ago and yet it was only just the third time. Her body shuddered, a hand going down to fight the panties from her legs and tossing them to the floor without a second thought.

Bonnie didn't care about all the horrible things he'd done to her; that was the past. He'd been forgiven. She'd forgiven him. Now it was time to forget. Forget everything but the here and now.

And so she reached out to him, her magic enveloping them both; dancing with his in a waltz that was both familiar and unfamiliar to her. She wanted that sweet rapture; that pain and pleasure that came from a torment Bonnie hadn't realized was a wish she had been longing for. Something she had kept so quiet and so close to her. Bonnie had never wanted a normal life. She just wanted someone to understand her. A connection that could surpass all logic.

A moment like this.

Breaking the kiss, Bonnie sighed his name from her mouth as her nails dug into his shoulder and slipped over his broad back. Digging down further to mark him in her own way; the only way a woman could. And then she rolled her hips up, meeting his in a sweet push of passion and magic and devastation. He had ruined her.

Bonnie was going to ruin him in return.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

There was nothing left for him to hide at this point. There was nothing left to keep from her now. Kai had become the _true_ Gemini Coven leader. He had amassed power and influence, and he had plans for them _all_. Malachai Parker finally had vengeance at his fingertips. He could make them all pay - over time. And that wasn't even his _original_ aim. He could scarcely remember what the Old Kai Parker wanted. There was something that they both wanted; the Old and the New Kai Parker.

That something, that someone just moaned his name into his mouth causing his very soul to shake.

He rumbled and pushed into the dig and claw of her fingernails as he slid smoothly into her body again. Their tongues, bodies, and magic danced - causing a mystical flux of destruction in their suite. His fingers pressed possessively into her skin, causing them to pale. She didn't understand why he said the things he did. She wanted to find those hidden lies, the signs of Old Kai Parker - and there was none. Day by day - minute by minute in her presence? Old Kai Parker had all but ceased to exist in nothing but moments of anger.

He wanted her to believe, to see, that he saw her more than a tool. She was...

What _was she_ to him? His fingers reached up to thread into her hair - tugging it back so he could press his lips against the column of her neck. The other hand stayed against her hip, pushing her onto him as their hips rolled into each other. She was beautiful. She was everything.

To him Bonnie Bennett was _everything_. And as she moaned his name into the vacuum of magic and destruction swirling around them? He knew that he would show his father that the woman he underestimated was even more powerful than anyone else in the Coven.

Their bodies rocked against each other as their magic swirled and clashed. His hands scraped along her skin as he thrust into her time and again. His heartbeat heavy against his rib cage as all thoughts of the outside world perished. There was nothing but her against him and him against her. They had truly, and finally, let go. They were consuming each other in a way that neither of them ever thought possible. Maybe never even thought would happen, could happen, between them.

There was so much damage done by them both, it was a revelation they'd gotten to this point. There would be no one else for him. And he would be damned if there was anyone else for her. He would show Bonnie the power locked inside of her. He would give her the answer to her past that had eluded her. Then he would give her the tools to become the most formidable witch to walk the planet.

So that nobody - not Joshua Parker, not her friends in Mystic Falls, no even he _himself_ \- could stand in her way. And when she'd broken the rest of that shell, and when she arrived into her own fresh, new and confident? He'd still be right there wanting her, possessive of her and maybe, just maybe, _truly_ loving her.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

He withdrew enough to pull Bonnie up into his lap with his hands against her hips. Their lips meshed as he settled her over him once again. She felt a soft moan and gasp escape her mouth - his name falling like a spell once more. She wanted to call to his magic the way that his was calling to her. Wrapping around each other slowly, possessively, yet there was a warmth and comfort amidst the chaos and danger. Bonnie could barely understand the reasoning behind it. She had never been this intimate with another witch before so she could only assume that this was the natural way of things.

Bonnie never wanted to ask Kai if he had felt this sensation with anyone else. She didn't want to know. She didn't want to admit the lingering feeling of inadequacy that would, undoubtedly, spring up if she let it burrow too deep in the back of her brain.

Each thrust had her lost in a swimming sea of darkness sprinkled with light. The room was destroying itself, bowing to their magic and trying to find a corner to hide but it was no use. The tiniest particle of dust would meet its end at the whip crack of their power. Her throat was exposed to his mouth as he lavished kisses and suckled and nipped at the sensitive skin there. Bonnie's arms wrapped about him, trying to focus on anchoring her hips into him as he moved through her.

That darkness poked its head out again, wanting to feel him and fall into the wanton desires of her heart. She pressed her lips to the shell of his ear, breathing softly into it as her back shivered. "I want to feel your heartbeat," she whispered. Unlocking her legs so that she could pull herself from him, she leaned back so that their eyes could meet for half a second.

Kai's brow creased as she untangled from his embrace. "B-Bon?"

The absence of his length had her feeling empty, a sensation she pushed to the back of her lungs so she could turn away from him. Bonnie rolled her hips back, settling herself and she slid his still hard erection deep into her. A soft cry was all she could manage, choked out as her hands reached back to grasp at Kai's thighs - fingers digging in deep and she raised up, her back pressing against his chest.

And then she felt it. That heavy drumming pulse of his heart nestled between her shoulder blades and Bonnie couldn't stop the sigh that came from deep within her. A smile touched her mouth, her back arching slightly to further slip herself over him. "There it is," Bonnie whispered, her voice having dropped a full octave. "I can _feel it_."

His hands slid up against her rib cage, cupping her breasts with nipples tugged between thumb and forefingers. A sharp intake of breath was given in response to Kai pulling and teasing at her mounds. The motion encouraged her to arch back into him. One hand slid down to her waist to push her down farther. He tried to push himself completely inside of her. Kai moaned her name against her shoulder and she could feel his toes digging into the mattress, the tug of fabric heard alongside the shift of their own bodies.

When she heard the way he moaned her name again, Bonnie felt what little tethers of her sensibility start to grow slack - unraveling, even. She had to wonder, in what world, had she finally agreed to let this go; to let herself go? There had been a part of her that had hated Kai so much she could barely stand it; the hatred climbing up her throat and choking her out in a fitful rage in the middle of the night. She had been so dead set on achieving her form of revenge that she had been blinded by her friends' presumptuous forms of judgment. She had been trying so hard to keep her guard up - fighting so hard to ignore and block what was culminating between the two of them.

But she couldn't. It was inevitable, this fall from grace.

Was it grace that she was falling from? Had Bonnie been on her high horse, judgmental pedestal for so long that she had believed her self-righteous indignation toward him was justified? Truly so?

It wasn't fair, she realized that now. She had only been exposed to little patches here and there with the retelling of his story on Thanksgiving at his home in Portland and then the actual ceremony she had vacated just hours ago. Bonnie had come face to face with Joshua Parker, the man who had been responsible for planting those dark, nasty seeds in Kai's heart.

How long had Kai felt such anger, such isolation, such torment and self-loathing before it folded back on itself and was aimed toward those who had hurt him? How long had Kai been stewing on the thoughts of vengeance before she and Damon had appeared in his prison world?

Pleasure and pain blossomed through her while her other hand folded over Kai's that was still grasping her breast in his palm, lacing her fingers on top of his to add more pressure to the hold. A puff of gratifying air was given and another shivering wave of pleasure seized her, causing her to moan out his name in a dizzying form of worship she could hardly recognize in herself.

Her head fell back on his shoulder, eyes shut as she let her body all but fall against him as he rocked his hips into her. With each thrust, she felt her body lifting and falling into him, stroking along her folds in earnest as the edge of her orgasm grew closer and closer. She was going to fall off the edge at any moment.

And then she'd scream his name gladly.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Kai could feel every nerve in his body singing with power. He was at a loss for words when she disengaged - leaving him victim to the cool air assaulting him without the warmth of her body. Bonnie spun around and pushed back against him and he felt all the moisture leave his mouth. She sank against him - pushing her back into his chest.

He swore his heart would throw itself from his body as her voice dropped an octave while moaning into the empty space in front of her. He didn't want an inch missed as he filled her.

He felt her grasping the hand that was at her hip. Bonnie wrapped her fingers around Kai's wrist and guided it between her thighs, shuddering at the warmth that touched and flowed through him as he felt his fingers brushing along her folds. Her legs began to part further, allowing him better access before she arched up and fell back down - sliding along his erection and feeling everything pushing up and inside of her to an unknown place that he hadn't even been aware of.

She was taking from him.

Bonnie Bennett was taking what she wanted from him. His eyes were wide as he stared at the way the muscles shifted in her back. The way she felt as she pulled and tugged against him. Kai marked her with teeth, lips, and tongue as she moaned. His heart nearly skipped a beat when she helped him move his hand between her legs. He could feel the silken moisture sliding against him as he reached for that tiny nub of nerves.

He said her name. Bonnie's fingers interlaced with his own over her breast and it caused a hip jerk reaction. He wanted more of her, all of her. When she sank back against him, he pulled her down harder each time. His fingers dancing between the folds of her sex with every push. He could feel her heart beating in his hand, through her chest, for him. He sucked in a breath with the reverence of his name from her mouth. He groaned her name in reply, his body shuddering against hers.

Kai wasn't a patient man in many areas. His want for Bonnie Bennett was no different. He wanted her to shatter for him. He wanted her crazy for him and no one else. His hands worked faster, he worked harder to pick up the speed as she fell back against him. She was almost there and he could tell in the gentle tremor that started in her thighs. A grunt of sound as he closed his eyes and let the sound of her push him over. A shocked gasp was soon followed by another as his teeth snapped shut on a rumbling sound. Kai's hands and fingers pressed into her body as he felt the dizzying rush of the orgasm from the tip of his toes upward.

It was a helpless sound that he made as if he had fought the good fight. His body and his mind couldn't comprehend, even still, this magnetic connection between them.

Kai screamed Bonnie's name as he jerked beneath the prison of her body. Pulling her tight against him as his body succumbed to an orgasm so strong that cracks formed from the floor to the ceiling.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

His fingers caressed her folds in both a slow and quick pace. It was hard for Bonnie to differentiate which sensation was taking over first. Was it lust? Was it longing? Was it the overwhelming need to feel her loins clamp down on his and squeeze every single essence that existed inside of Kai Parker? To drain him until there was absolutely nothing left to give? For him _to give_ to anyone else?

Perhaps.

But as he screamed her name, coupled with her own screams of his name in return, Bonnie wasn't sure what her body's desire was outside of folding inside of this Gemini witch and leaving nothing to chance; leaving nothing left for him for anyone else. The ruin was beginning. The ruin and the rebuilding of the said structure that had been ruined. The malicious, sociopath was crumbling and so was the judgmental, passive doormat.

The heat of his cum spread inside of her, a new flame being born from it and Bonnie almost inwardly panicked before succumbing to the euphoric sensation that blanketed over her. She could feel the slickness of their sweat slipping between her shoulder blades as he pressed her body flush against his - squeezing her eyes shut as unwanted tears sprung up in the corners of them. Her body lurched forward, rising as if to fly off to the ceiling but Kai held fast to her, his own orgasm chasing hers and rebuilding it for her to find another release in the chase.

The room rumbled from their magic and the heaviness of their breathing. Bonnie felt like the wind had been knocked completely out of her, but was then replaced with a sweeping gust that flooded her lungs. Opening her eyes, she saw speckles of light in the darkness from having shut her eyes and clenched her jaws so tightly. Her head hung forward a measure, her chin dipping to her clavicle as her chest rose and fell - fighting against the hold Kai had on her.

A few short breaths followed. Her hand that wasn't still clamped over his moved up slowly to shakily reach behind her. It felt like she didn't have a single bit of strength left in her body, but Bonnie was able to turn her head as her fingers brushed along Kai's jaw so she could turn his face toward hers - her lips finding his to seal over them in a kiss that mimicked the passion they were just feeling despite her lack of energy from the magic radiating from all over her body.

It wasn't enough. It couldn't be enough. It would _never_ be enough.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

When they were both good and spent, which felt like a lifetime after the fact, Kai just laid on his side and watched Bonnie sleeping soundly beside him. Not wanting to bug her about repairing the room, Kai gently siphoned little nips of her magic as she slept. The suite was back to normal in less than ten minutes.

Her face looked more at peace than it had been when he'd first returned to her after that damned ceremony. He let the backs of his fingers glide across the curve of her shoulder and down her back, drawing little circles between her shoulder blades. Kai didn't even realize he'd been smiling when he saw her chest rise higher with a deep intake of breath, a noise of content murmuring between her slightly parted lips. It wasn't until Bonnie stretched her arms out in front of her, grappling at the air, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling herself closer to snuggle into his chest that Kai felt the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

His arm draped over her waist, fingers dipping into the small of her back while his other arm slid under the pillow and was able to rest along the back of her head to massage her scalp. Another sigh came from Bonnie against his chest and Kai closed his eyes, brows knitting as he reflected on the entire day. From that morning until that very moment, he played it through his mind slowly.

Kai hated and loved today. It was a memory that would be forever branded on his soul and for various reasons. His promise to Bonnie would extend further than what he'd spoken aloud. Because the Old Kai was still lingering along the crevices of his heart. The bitter part of him that wanted to pay it forward to all those witches that had put a target on his back. The part of him that had come to the forefront thanks to his father who had, in so many words, put a target on Bonnie's back and burned the olive branch he'd begrudgingly offered him.

The merge may have changed him. Bonnie may have changed him. But his thirst for vengeance still drummed steadfast in his chest - coiling into the pool that was his magical reserves. At that moment, he was truly thankful that Bonnie was sleeping and unable to see his face.

Because she would have seen murder clearly in his eyes.

Patience. He just had to have patience. When they returned to Mystic Falls, he would plan his vengeance accordingly.

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _I honestly don't know what to say at this point. What could I possibly say? I just...I can't thank you guys enough for all of your love and support. Bonkamily, you're the best and the amount of love and thought and time you guys give me with your comments? Truly, it lifts my spirits more than you know. I never thought the story would get this far and I feel like we still have so much further to go! I'm looking forward to reaching that point where it starts to branch off into a second arc - which for those of you who have followed me on Tumblr will know that there will be a second arc to the story. But it still seems so far away! So again, thanks guys! Keep reading, reviewing, and showing the love! You guys drive me harder than you can imagine and I am so appreciative of the push! So keep it up guys! See you in the next chapter!_


	17. For The Dogs

_~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon ~_

When she'd woken up the following morning, Bonnie was greeted with an undamaged hotel suite and no Kai. Instead, there was a note on the pillow next to her. He told her he was going to get them checked out of the hotel, to gather up all of her things and packed and to be ready to head to the airport in the afternoon. He was going to meet her for lunch later. All of Kai's belongings were already packed and sitting by the door. She pulled out her phone and saw that it was half-past nine in the morning. Most hotels needed patrons to vacate the room by eleven.

There had been a few other missed calls and text messages from the gang back in Mystic Falls. Worried ones from Elena and Stefan. An erratic but concerned voicemail from Caroline and Damon had sent a few colorful texts of his own along with an equally colorful voicemail. Something akin to bringing her annoying little witch head back to Mystic Falls soon or he'd hunt her down, hog tie her and drag her back kicking and screaming if necessary. It made Bonnie laugh both from sheer amusement and from aggravation.

As she slowly rolled over onto her back to stare at the ceiling, she pressed the phone against her chest and savored the coolness it brought to her skin. A slow inhale and then an equally slow exhale followed, her eyes focusing on the details of the ceiling that she hadn't bothered to truly take in since they'd first arrived to Portland. Fingers moved to press against her lips and then smoothed back down her body to rest on her stomach.

Suddenly, a wave of panic smashed into Bonnie and she flew out of the bed. She slipped on the discarded bathrobe on a nearby chair, bare feet padding frantically into the kitchenette as she searched for a kettle. Her mind was going a mile a minute, but the strongest thought at the front of her mind was that she had had sex with Kai for the third time. She'd had sex with Kai three times.

 _Without protection._

Bonnie's hands shook violently as they hovered over the boiling kettle on the stove. Her hands then moved to the cabinet, grabbing a black ceramic mug and setting it onto the counter with a clatter. Her purse was sitting on the counter-top beside her and she quickly began digging through it, hands grasping a glass jar with a thick cork stuffed into the mouth of the opening. There were green and purple herbs inside - dried and picked with such scrutiny that Bonnie knew her Grams would have been proud of her and how well she'd kept the old witch's garden.

Wringing her hands together to stop their trembling, she pried the cork loose and shook several of the dried contraceptive herbs into the mug. She tipped a few more in for good measure. Bonnie took another deep breath and reached out to grasp the handle of the kettle and began pouring the steaming water over the herbs, her other hand shaking as she closed her eyes and started softly chanting a spell.

Setting the kettle back onto the eye of the stove, Bonnie reached out to cradle the mug between her palms and whispered another spell. She winced when the mug was burning hot to the touch, but she resisted the instinct to pull her hands back. After a handful of seconds, the mug began to cool and she quickly took several gulps of the tea. The flavor was earthy with just a hint of sweetness chasing the bitter taste at the back of her throat. Once she'd completely drained the mug, swallowing the herbs with it, Bonnie fought against the bile building up in the back of her throat and she set the cup into the sink - turning on the water to rinse and clean it and then setting it on the drying rack. She splashed cold water on her face so she could ease back the heat that was building up along her neck and cheeks.

A new thought blanketed over Bonnie as her hands settled on the counter-top. When was the last time she'd had her period? She had been bouncing back and forth from prison worlds and between being dead and risen and then trapped, she knew she had to have been behind some months.

Bonnie slowly turned around to rest her back against the counter, ticking off the months on her fingers as she mentally calculated everything. Surely her biological functions were all out of whack. They had to be. That was the only thing that made sense. And if that was the case, then that meant there was no way she could get pregnant. Not so quickly. Some people tried for months to get pregnant to no avail.

There was just no way...

Reaching for the mug in the drying rack, Bonnie shook more herbs into it. She began brewing herself another cup of tea.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon - Parker Family Home ~_

Kai's knuckles burned white as he gripped the steering wheel of the rental car. He didn't want to come back to this place. He absolutely had no intention of coming back - not since his stint in 1994. There had been no point to it. Not when he had plans that he had wanted to initialize. Those plans did not involve coming back to this place that was his childhood home. The source of all of his nightmares. If he'd had his way, Kai would have burned the house to the ground. He'd done it enough times in his prison world and every single time had brought him a small semblance of satisfaction.

Maybe it wasn't too late to do it again.

Shaking his head, he rubbed at his shaved chin and sighed. No. That wouldn't do him any good. It wouldn't do Bonnie any good either.

This was crazy, but he knew he had to face his father. There were too many questions burning in the back of his brain and while his strongest urge was to make the man's head explode, he wouldn't get his answers that way. Logic won over his anger, as it always did. As it always should have.

Clambering out of the car, he flattened his hand over the dark blue, pin-striped blazer that he wore over a Metallica t-shirt. The sleeves were rolled up to the elbow for his own comfort because it was the warmer season, even for Portland. Dark blue jeans were rolled up at the cuff, his black combat boots shuffling through the grass as he made his way toward the house. With a wave of his hand, the cloaking spell over the house was lifted just as he saw his father stepping out onto the front porch.

"Come out to greet me? That's awfully swell of you, Dad," Kai mused, stopping at the foot of the porch steps.

"Have you come to your senses and told Miss Bennett to return to Mystic Falls without you?" Kai smirked and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans, relishing the twitch on his father's brow. "No, I suppose you haven't. Wishful thinking on my part."

"You have wishes other than torturing your family?"

"Why are you here then?"

Kai pulled his right hand out of his pocket, the siphoning device now in his palm as he held it up to show his father. "Did you forget that we're due for a discussion?"

He watched his father carefully. He studied his expression so thoroughly that Kai's eyes started to blur just a fraction. If it was one thing he knew about his father was that the man had an excellent poker face. Kai could mimic it on command now. He just chose not to. At least not around certain people. He couldn't be bothered to keep that mask up and it wasn't until he'd merged with Luke that Kai realized how tiresome it was to hide who he truly was. He was beginning to think that his father didn't have a soul since he had his up constantly.

His father's jaw ticked and then he stepped to the side, a gesture of his head was all that was given before he turned and went back into the house. Kai followed, hopping up the short flight of steps and making his way inside.

Tiny flashes of memories echoed in Kai's mind - the spray of blood on the walls and the blood trail he'd left as he dragged the baseball bat through the hallway looking for his twin. His promise to not kill her reverberating off the walls as he sensed his sister's soft hum of magic throughout. But he'd been looking for the twins. He had murder in his heart and a gleam of excitement in his eyes. It was no secret that he relished in killing, but killing for the reasons he felt were justified.

Somewhere along the way during his time in the prison world, Kai had lost himself in the reasons and had simply taken joy in murder. Or at least thoughts of murder. He was constantly killing the Gemini Coven in his mind as he counted the days, the months, and then the years away.

His father poured both Kai and himself a cup of coffee, setting the items at the kitchen table. He didn't wait for Kai to take a seat first before sitting down. Coven Leader or not, his father didn't respect him. _Wouldn't_ respect him until he got his way. Until he was working him like a puppet on a string. Perhaps that was his plan had Jo gone through The Merge with Kai and she won instead of him. But guess they would never know.

Kai slid into the chair opposite his father, setting the device down on the table and then pushing it to the middle between them. "Explain."

Joshua threw him a pointed look. "What do you expect me to tell you? Your guess is as good as mine."

"Bullshit," came his off-handed response. He leaned back, lifting the mug with him as he took a sip. "I know you know what this is. It'll be less stressful for the both of us if you just go ahead and tell me everything you know about this thing."

His father gave no quarter, sipping from the mug with an almost bored expression lining his face. "Where did you even find that?"

"In the 1903 Prison World."

And there it was. He saw it. If he'd blinked, Kai would have missed it. But there was a momentary widening of his father's eyes, so fleeting that Kai thought he'd imagined it at first.

Joshua's eyes narrowed at Kai in what he could only perceive as disappointment and curiosity. "...what were you doing there?"

"Some favors were being cashed in." Kai narrowed his own gaze back. "Wasn't I the one asking the questions? When did this get flipped around?"

"When you let it get flipped around," said Joshua, causing Kai's fingers to grip tightly on the mug. "I'm guessing you saw them?"

"If you're talking about witches who can siphon, the answer is no. If you're talking about The Heretics, the answer is yes."

Kai shouldn't have relished in the shock that played on his father's face, but he couldn't help himself. He soaked in the surprise and then the flicker of fear that darted through the eyes that mirrored his own. There was the vindictive side of him that wanted, more than anything, to reach across the table and strangle his father with his bare hands. To remind him just who was in control, who had the power, and who should never be crossed if he wanted to continue living the remainder of his days quietly and peacefully. The itch was so strong, Kai found himself squeezing his fingers against the mug with a surprising amount of force. Any more pressure and it was going to crack it, he was sure of it.

His father had believed The Heretics a myth. He could see that now. It had been "the monster under the bed" for those of his coven; a tool used to further persecute those who were like him. Siphoners. Abominations. To know that they were real and able to escape that world at any moment when a drop of Bennett Blood was given? Yes. He could feel his father's magic shimmer and shake at the very idea of it.

"Did you free them?"

Kai laughed out loud. Joshua's frown deepened. Instead of answering him, he shook his head and drank his coffee with feigned disinterest.

"Did you free them, Malachai?!"

His father's voice boomed out, backed up by the older witch's power. Kai lofted a brow, his lips hidden from view thanks to the mug. His father rarely showed any form of emotion, let alone anger. Annoyance, sure. But never anger. It was clear that Joshua Parker's fears stemmed beyond not just his son, but to siphoners in general.

Pathetic.

He swallowed the coffee down, thankful that the burn and warming of his insides momentarily distracted him from his own mounting rage. Such a human characteristic to fear that which one did not understand. Setting the mug down, Kai let the tips of his fingers rest on the rim while using the thumb ring of his other hand to tap along the ceramic surface.

"I should have," he said coolly. "I should have set them free and let them eat you. What a show _that_ would have been. But I didn't." Joshua's shoulders visibly relaxed and Kai scoffed. "The only reason I didn't was because vampires are already bad enough. Vampires that can use _magic?_ Well, that's just a headache I don't want to have to deal with. I have enough on my plate these days."

"Where is the Ascendant?" The persistent glance he gave Kai annoyed him. "Did you destroy it?"

He wasn't about to let his father flip this interrogation back on him a second time. "Explain this to me." Kai reached across the table and tapped the device. " _Now._ "

"I already told you, Son. Your guess is as good as mine."

"Do you _really_ expect me to believe that? The man I've come to know as a chess master, always five moves ahead in the game, doesn't know what the hell this thing is?" Kai tapped his finger on the device again - harder this time to emphasize his aggravation with this mind game that his father was trying to play with him. "I'm not ten anymore, Dad. You're going to have to do better than that."

Joshua sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I have never seen that device before in my life, Malachai." He paused. "Not in person, anyway."

"Of course not," he replied easily, leaning back in his seat. "It's over a hundred years old. But I'm sure there's something about this thing in The Archives, isn't there?"

Kai watched his father with such heavy scrutiny, waiting for some tell-tale clue from the former coven leader to try and figure out what he and Bonnie had actually stumbled upon. There had to be more to it than it simply being a device that sucked out magic. Kai was a young and rebellious witch all those years ago and had merely focused on spells and books that interested him. Something like this? Well, it wouldn't have stuck out on his radar. Not then. Anything to do with siphoning would have simply turned his stomach, plain and simple.

"Those witches were condemned for their crimes upon their arrival to America with Lily Salvatore. How such a thing even came into existence..." Joshua's face fell slightly, his eyes gazing down at the table but Kai could tell he wasn't really looking at it. "They must have discovered it while they were imprisoned in the 1903 world that had been created for them."

"So you're saying that they aren't the ones responsible for creating this thing?" Kai frowned as his father shook his head. "Then who the hell is? Just how old is this damn thing?"

Kai's hand lifted off the device as Joshua picked it up and examined it more carefully. "I would say that this was made around the mid to late-1700s." He shifted his gaze back up to meet Kai's. "As for who was responsible for its creation? That would be someone from our own family."

He didn't like where this was going. He especially didn't like the look that his father was currently giving him. It was far too intense and far too serious for his liking. Kai had a feeling he was going to really hate the next words coming out of Joshua's mouth.

"Our ancestor and your namesake," he said with an eerie calm. "Malachai Emmanuel Parker."

Kai was going to be sick.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon - Portland International Airport ~_

Bonnie sat at one of the café restaurants in the airport, tapping her fingers restlessly along one of the tables as she waited for Kai to show up. He had texted her just after she'd left the hotel and gathered their bags. She had been about ready to call him and demand to know what was taking so long, but his simple "Meet me at the airport" text had been so short and to the point, it unsettled her. She could have been reading it all wrong, of course. That was always a possibility. After all, a lot of things were misconstrued in text messages.

But this was Kai. Bonnie knew Kai. Or, at least, better than she had known him before now. She knew that something was up even without it having to be spelled out to her.

She sipped on her iced tea, trying to wrap her head around all of her crazy thoughts while settling her stomach. She had drank so much tea earlier in the day, both from necessity and nerves, that she had peed a ridiculous amount upon arriving at the airport. Everything was fine. Bonnie just had to keep telling herself that. This was all just her own paranoia wanting to take root and mess with her head. She was too used to things going awry in her life that anything stable just seemed like a cruel joke at this point. The fact that she was even associating Kai Parker and stability in the same breath was laughable.

In fact, she did just that. Laughed.

"You know, people might think you belong in a nuthouse when you laugh like that for no reason."

Bonnie jumped in her chair, turning around in her seat to see Kai standing behind her. She glared up at him, her lips pursing together in annoyance - a complete foil to his typical boyish grin. She watched him shove his hands into his pockets, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to her lips and she leaned back in a mild form of rebellion.

He chuckled, shaking his head at her. "You sore at me already?" Kai sighed. "Then again, when aren't you sore at me?"

She huffed and turned around in her chair, fiddling with the straw for her iced tea. "I'll give you five bucks if you can give me the correct answer."

Kai sank down into the empty chair opposite of her, leaning back lazily as he folded his hands across his stomach. "Nah, you can keep your money."

"Gee, thanks." Bonnie rolled her eyes. She shoved his duffel bag to him with a rough jerk of her foot. "So why'd you want to meet at the airport?"

His impish smile fell slightly and he averted her gaze for half a second before locking onto her. "I need you to go back to Mystic Falls without me."

"What?" Her brows raised a margin, then furrowed deeply. "Why?"

He shrugged, shaking his head as he closed his eyes. "Coven business apparently. I can't just attend my ceremony and then leave. Goes against protocol or some other bullshit."

"Are you serious?" Bonnie couldn't hide the suspicion in her voice. Kai seemed to pick up on it as well because his brows cinched as a flicker of anger flashed across his eyes. Though normally she could tell if it was directed at her or some other source, it was hard to tell which it was this time.

"What's wrong?" Kai asked, lifting a brow as a tiny smile touched the corners of his lips. "Scared to fly alone?"

"Yeah, I am actually," she admitted. Flying out to Portland was the first time she'd ever been on a plane and her stomach had been an intricate work of complicated knots. She had suppressed most of her anxiety from the event due, in part, to Kai constantly running his mouth to distract her. To get on that metal contraption, coupled with her overactive imagination, and then to do it alone? Well, it was just a recipe for disaster.

He half scoffed, half laughed and this made Bonnie's frown deepen. "Oh come on, Bonster," he said, waving his hand back and forth in a dismissive fashion. "Don't you know that flying is the safest way to travel?"

"If I'd known I was going back alone, I would have just taken an express bus."

"You're more likely to get into an accident on a bus than on a plane, you know."

She sipped her tea in annoyance. "You're not helping at all." Bonnie sighed, wringing her fingers together in aggravation along the surface of her glass.

"Does it bother you that badly that you're going to have to go alone?"

Bonnie could only shake her head, her eye-line lifting to meet his gaze. There was something there in those gray-blue tones, something she couldn't quite read and that made her more uncomfortable than the idea of having to fly back to Virginia alone. It bothered her that he could read her better than she could read him, but at least she could admit that she honestly hadn't been paying him any attention until the last couple of months. But he had apparently been paying close attention to her since their time back in 1994.

"Did you want to wait for me to fly back together?"

She hadn't meant for her eyes to widen, but they did and Kai's wolfish grin appeared. No. She didn't want to seem overly dependent on him. Plus this was something she needed to be able to do. How could she call herself a witch in this day and age if she couldn't get on a damn plane and fly? Especially since she still wanted to visit Paris one day. Who knew when she'd croak again because of some supernatural disturbance that Bonnie would have gotten dragged into to fix? Again.

"No," she finally replied, loosening her hold on her glass as she looked at the ice cubes inside, shifting them around with her straw. "It's probably better I go back anyway. I have some things I need to take care of."

"Like?"

She shrugged. "Just some things." Bonnie didn't want to get into it. Not in depth anyway. She knew she needed to confront Damon when she got back, as well as do some research on her own. If the Archives existed for the Gemini, surely there was something similar with the Bennett's. She just needed to find it and probe through its library.

"You gonna be okay on your own?" She canted her head slightly at the question. What did that even mean? "I mean, the whole reason you agreed to come with me was to get away from Lily and her craziness."

"Now you're worried?" Bonnie snorted, shaking her head in mild disbelief before finishing off her tea. "I'll be fine." She eyed her watch to make a note of the time. She was going to need to board her plane in thirty minutes. Since it wasn't the holidays, she figured it would only take fifteen minutes to get through TSA. Maybe less.

He scowled. "Now I don't want you to go."

"Well too bad. I'm going."

"Bonnie."

" _I'm going_ , Kai." And to further emphasize her decision, Bonnie stood up from her seat and leaned over to grab her duffel bag. Kai mirrored her movements, his hand reaching out to latch onto her wrist and she rolled her eyes, glaring first at the backs of his knuckles and then meeting his gaze. "Let go of me."

He took a step forward, closing the distance between them and doing the one thing she couldn't stand: crowding her space. His eyes seemed to shift between hers, searching for something. But what, she wasn't sure. "Are you mad at me?"

"No. Why would I be?"

"Why wouldn't you be?"

"Kai, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"That's not what I asked."

She felt his grip slacken and Bonnie took the opportunity to wrench her hand free from his hold. "Just handle your business. I'll see you when I see you."

Kai's eyes narrowed and it sent a soft chill down Bonnie's back. "What does that mean?"

"It means just that. I'll see you when I see you."

"You make it sound like I'm not coming back." He paused. "Period."

"Not what I was implying, but okay." She didn't want to start a fight with him. Not right now. Not when they were in such an exposed space and with time literally dwindling down with each passing second. "I've got to go." When she moved past him, she felt Kai grip onto her upper arm and held her fast. Bonnie sighed, casting a sidelong glance to Kai as he gazed down at her.

They stood there for a few seconds in silence, drinking in each other's intense expressions. His grip tightened on her arm and she exhaled slowly. He did the same.

"I'm coming back, Bonnie."

"Okay."

"Why does it sound like you don't believe me?"

"It doesn't matter what I believe."

He drew her closer. "Yes it does, Bon."

"Not really," she said with a shrug. "Not in the grand scheme of things."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because it doesn't, Kai." This was getting them nowhere.

"Are you saying that because you're used to people ditching you or dumping you off?"

Bonnie's anger flared to the surface and she moved to pull herself free from him. Was that what she was implying? Probably. But that didn't give him the right to probe around in her feelings like that. She had agreed to let Kai in but to an extent. She wasn't ready for him to have full access to her mind and heart. Not yet. Because there was always the chance that he'd just break her in half like so many others had in the past. She wasn't about to make herself vulnerable like that. Not for him. Not for anyone. Not ever again.

"You've got some nerve, Malachai Parker," growled Bonnie through clenched teeth.

Even though he was flashing a smirk at her, she could recognize the darkness behind the gesture. "Am I wrong?"

"Totally." She laughed, rolling her eyes. "God, why do you have to be so full of yourself? Not everything is about you, you know?"

"It's my narcissism. Can't be helped."

"Well, either way, I'm going so I'll see you later." With that, she finally pulled herself free and began making her way toward where TSA would begin checking her things before clearing her to the boarding gates.

Kai didn't try to stop her again to which she was grateful. If he stopped her again, she didn't know what she'd do, but Bonnie knew that it would have been akin to being talked into staying until they could leave together. She had things to do. She couldn't allow her own feelings to sway her from that fact. While Kai had served as a presence in her life she'd grown accustomed to having around, there was always the chance that something could shake that up. Bonnie didn't want that messing _her_ up in the process. It wouldn't have done anyone any good, least of all her.

"I'm coming back, Bonster! So don't get any funny ideas like trying to banish me from your life when I get back there."

Bonnie laughed and while shaking her head, she lifted up a hand and waved at him but did not look back. This was her chance to see if she had truly stabilized herself. To see if she was stronger and more determined than she had been before going into the prison worlds. It was what they needed. _This_ was what they needed: space apart. Because if it did boil down to it that Kai and she would end up taking different paths in life, then the less dependent upon him she became, the better.

Because Bonnie needed to stand on her own and to stand her ground. Alone.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett House ~_

Bonnie was tired, her anxiety amplified from having to fly back to Mystic Falls alone and with no Kai Parker yammering in her ears to keep her mind off of the trip. She opted to listen to her iPod, cranking up music and letting herself get lost in the sounds of the early 2000s. She'd gotten sick of 90s music for a time, but Kai had turned her on to Pearl Jam for a spell. But she refused to listen to it when he wasn't around. Doing that would have prompted thoughts that she very much could do without.

No. This separation was good. With Kai not there hovering over her, invading her space, she could get her head on straight and figure some things out. She may have finally forgiven him and she may have even agreed to give him another chance, but there was no denying the gravitational pull between the two of them. Bonnie wasn't ready to put a label on that. She wasn't ready to acknowledge it out loud because doing that would either force it to be real or to admit that it was just a dream.

She wanted to keep living the lie just a little while longer.

It was evening by the time the cab dropped her off at her house. She paid the driver, retrieved her bag, and was about to beeline straight for her door when the shadowed figure of someone standing on her porch stopped her. Bonnie's steps faltered before halting completely, fingers gripping onto her keys with a surprising amount of force as they jangled softly at her side. Magic flaring to life inside of her, she quickly dropped the duffel bag and prepared to hurl a spell at the intruder when, suddenly, they blurred from existence and reappeared directly in front of her. A cold hand gripped her wrist and she was just about to slam an offensive spell against her assailant when something caught her attention under the glow of the moon from overhead.

Bonnie was staring straight into a pair of sapphire hues under a curtain of jet hair.

"Jesus, Damon!"

He canted his head to the side, flashing a grin that didn't exactly meet his eyes. "Hey Bon-Bon," Damon mused lightly, though there was clearly an edge of darkness lingering there. Something she was keenly aware of. "Glad to see you're back." He paused, taking note of her frown and his own smile fell to mirror her expression. "We need to talk."

Bonnie's lips formed a thin line, her eyes narrowing as she glared up at him. Why couldn't Damon do things properly and less impulsively? Why did he insist on making things more difficult for her each and every time these days? After everything they'd been through together in the prison world, why had he insisted on driving this wedge between them?

Why?

Why?

Why?!

 _"Motus!"_

Damon flew back, landing on the grass several feet away from her. Bonnie picked up her bag and raced toward the house, her legs carrying her up the short flight of steps up to the porch. Forgoing her keys, she threw the door open with a pulse of magic and quickly crossed the threshold of her home just as she felt Damon's breath on the back of her neck. He made a sound as the vibration of magic rang out through the night heard only by the two of them, the invitation barrier holding its place and securing her safety. A nervous laugh spilled out unexpectedly from her as she caught her breath.

She turned around to face him. Bonnie didn't even bother hiding her triumphant smirk in response to his irritated scowl.

Slowly, Damon lifted his hands up and pressed against the magical wall that was dividing them. "Bonnie," he said calmly. "Let me in. Now."

Funny how those words seemed to have no effect on her like they usually did. She dropped her bag at her feet and tossed the keys onto a nearby table by the door, folding her arms across her chest. "Nah." His eyes narrowed and she shrugged. "I'll pass, thanks."

"Don't do this."

"Don't do what?" she snapped, her smile still in place but her expression was clearly not happy. "Protect myself?"

"Bonnie, you know that I wouldn't hurt you."

"Oh yeah? To what end does my safety extend, hm? Am I free from your fangs or from having my neck broken until I'm no longer useful to you?" She took a step forward. "And even if you don't hurt me, that doesn't mean that your mother won't."

Damon slammed his fists into the barrier, the magic protesting loudly and ringing in Bonnie's ears. "Bonnie!"

"Don't make this about me, Damon!" she snarled, her hands falling to her side. "We _both_ know that's not why you're here! And before you even ask, the answer is no."

She watched his face twist into something akin to pain but she knew that she wasn't the source. It was almost like he was fighting with something inside of himself and he gently tapped his head against the barrier. How had it come to this? They had both sacrificed so much to get to this point and she had even given up her own means of escape to ensure that he was able to return home to Elena. It was the one thing he had kept pestering her and pining over for months back in 1994.

Bonnie had believed they had developed some kind of understanding for each other - a friendship that was forged from confinement and a need to seek one another out for solace and comfort. She had suffered through his endless rantings and ravings, his put-downs and his constant badgering on her about having lost her magic. What else was there to really say or even do or understand at this point?

There was a long pause - a singular moment where all the two of them could do was soak up each other's auras. It swelled against the wall of magic separating them and Bonnie wished, not for the first time, that things could have gone back to how they used to be between them. Back when she hadn't hesitated to set Damon free because she had believed that they were friends. When she believed he had done everything he could to get her out of that prison world hell that they had been trapped in together. Bonnie had hoped and prayed and wished with everything that she could muster, the days bleeding by until her birthday finally rolled around and she had resigned herself to not wanting to take it anymore.

She had been prepared to end everything that day in the garage.

Kai had abandoned her. He'd left her, but not for dead, clearly - seeing as how he'd left his fucking pager behind with his simple, digitized confession. Her hatred for Kai Parker had been amplified that day. She swore that if she ever saw him again, she'd make him crumble to his knees at her feet. She told herself over and over again that in order to maintain a firm tether to her own sanity, to not give in to her darkest desires, she needed to be nowhere near Kai Parker. Bonnie couldn't risk giving into that temptation - that burning, cruel and detestable wish to bring him pain and suffering at every turn.

It was no secret to her that Kai had brought out the worst in her. Or, rather, that he'd continuously fed a darkness she hadn't even realized had taken root and begun growing in the first place. It was why she had been so determined to keep him away from her.

But then Damon had to go and ruin it all. He had to tell her the one thing she wanted to hear. He had to go and give her an opportunity that was never supposed to happen in the first place. Because he was a manipulator. He had played her and Kai both like a well-trained fiddle and it angered her to new heights that she'd never even believed possible after watching her father being murdered right before her very eyes. Angered with Silas' little games and Shane's twisted words and false pretenses of wishing to mentor her in the ways of Expression.

"Bon, please," he said weakly. It sounded almost like a plea and she felt a sharp knot twisting up in her chest at hearing him in any kind of agony. Damon was her friend. She didn't want to hurt him but he wasn't really giving her any kind of choice. _He_ had betrayed their friendship. _He_ had betrayed the trust they'd built first.

Sighing softly, she took a step forward while locking onto his face. "What do you want, Damon?"

His pale blue eyes bore straight through her, causing her brows to knit further across her face. The silence was too much and Bonnie was about to shut the door when she saw his mouth move to speak. However, nothing came out and he closed it again. This was getting them nowhere.

"If you don't have anything to say, I'm going to bed. I had a long weekend." Her hand was moving to the door to shut it in Damon's face.

"I need the Ascendant, Bonnie."

"What?" Her jaw grew slack with disbelief. "Are you fucking for real right now?"

"Please, Bon, I _need_ The Ascendant. I don't need anything else, alright? Just hand it over and I'll leave you alone."

Bonnie couldn't believe what she was hearing. There was a crackling sound that followed shortly after - a response to both her anger and the sudden snap of her magic coming to life all around her.

"Did you forget what I said?" She took a step forward, her face inches away from Damon's as her aura rippled against the invitation barrier. "Didn't I tell you to wrangle your mother?"

"Bonnie-"

"Did you think that bit about the Ascendant didn't extend to you or Stefan or _anyone else_ who even attempts to try and head back to that damn prison world to retrieve the witchpire Brady Bunch?"

"Bonnie, listen-"

"No, _you_ listen, goddammit!"

She raised her hand up, curling her fingers in a menacing fashion as her magic took on the same properties as her own feelings. Darkness swirled inside of her, lacing through her aura and reaching out like invisible tendrils of power to slowly snake over Damon's throat. The air began to leave him as she closed his windpipe, forcing him to his knees as he frantically started to claw at his throat like a madman.

He managed to raise his head up to look at her, the capillaries in his eyes bursting around his pupils from the strain she was putting on his throat. Veins protruded from either side of his neck, pulsing with life as he struggled to breathe. Damon struggled to reach one hand out, scraping at the magical barrier that separated them from one another.

"B-Bonnie!"

Damon screamed - a strained noise, but a scream nonetheless. It practically fell on deaf ears.

"I'm not letting you, or anybody else, bring those freaks to our world. I don't care what I have to do or who I have to bury to make sure it doesn't happen, but you're not getting the Ascendant, my blood, or _any_ witches to help you conjure up the spell to get back there. Am I making myself clear, Damon?"

All he was able to give her was a choked sound which only caused her rage to bubble further to the surface. Her fingers curled in toward her palms and he made a noise that sounded like he was hanging from a noose. She kept this up for a moment longer before taking a breath and releasing him, watching the older Salvatore brother crumple up into a ball on her grandmother's porch as he coughed and heaved every breath he could allow himself to draw into his body.

Sighing slowly, Bonnie took a risk and stepped across the threshold of her grandmother's house as Damon remained on the ground. Her boots scraped along the wooden surface, watching his chest rise and fall as his breathing leveled out. He peeked up at her from one eye, the sweat falling from his brow and dripping from his chin. There was a part of her that inwardly felt some pang of remorse for what she had done just now. It was true. She'd gone a little overboard. But Bonnie also knew she had a point she was trying to make.

She was through being taken advantage of without a thought or care to her overall well being.

"Why are you so willing to let that woman push you around anyway?" she asked, lowering herself down on her haunches in front of him as he sat upright. "Because she's your mother? Get real, Damon. She was dead to you and Stefan for a long time. You've gotten along just fine without her so why the sudden golden boy act, huh?"

Damon looked at Bonnie for a long moment, his brows scrunched up together as he tried to find something in her own eyes. Was this what she looked like whenever she was attempting to seek out deceit in Kai's eyes whenever he would say something to her - expecting to find insincerity there versus the truth? It was odd to be on the receiving end of it for a change.

"Because I'm trying to do the right thing, Bonnie."

"Then send her back to 1903 where she belongs."

His eyes widened slightly. "What?"

Bonnie fell back on her butt, propping her forearms on her knees. "She's not supposed to be here, Damon. I understand giving people second chances, but you heard it from Kai. Do you really want that woman out on the streets hurting innocent people again?" She leaned forward, a more empathetic expression crossing her features this time. "She didn't just kill a few dozen people, okay? She killed _thousands_ and she did it for sport, not for survival. And from what I hear, she didn't do it with her humanity turned off either."

"Bonnie, I can't. I just got her back..." She could sense there was trepidation there, but Bonnie remained silent as she waited patiently for Damon to continue. "This is a chance for Stefan and me to have our mom again. She left us when we were so young, Bon. Our dad wasn't Father of the Year, and there were times I hated my mother so much I could barely stand it." His eyes lifted to meet hers and she saw them misting over in the moonlight. Bonnie's lips parted, brows furrowing as she felt the steady drumming of her heartbeat increase. "But she's still my mother. You can understand that, can't you?"

Pursing her lips together into a thin line, Bonnie averted her gaze momentarily before sighing and shaking her head. "Maybe the Bonnie before 1994 and 1903 would have," she said gently before turning to face him. "But not me. Not Bonnie 2.0. The prison worlds changed me, Damon. I'm not sure if they changed me for the better, but I can't go back to thinking like how I used to. It's gotten me killed too many times now and I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't carelessly throw my life away anymore."

He reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her forward and then he gave it a firm squeeze. Bonnie tensed up on instinct, relaxing when she saw Damon's face crumble slightly. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you, Bon-Bon." Damon then flashed her his patented smug grin. "Besides, dying is nothing new for you. You've died how many times now?"

She clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth in annoyance. "That's not the point, dammit! I'm not a cat! How many lives do you think I have?!" Bonnie pulled her arm free. "The Other Side is gone, remember? It collapsed all around us and that's how we wound up in that alternate dimension in the first place!"

Damon scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, no thanks to the Gemini."

" _Without_ the Gemini's little prison world and my Grams swooping in at the last second, we'd be dead for good."

"Bonnie?" Damon called to her softly, causing her anger to ebb back a bit. "What happened to you? What in the hell happened back in 1903 between you and Kai?"

"Not this again," she groaned, moving to stand and Damon quickly followed suit. She dusted off the backs of her jeans. "Nothing happened. We were trapped in a frigid hell with vampire witches breathing down our necks. We were surviving to try and get out of that place. You know, the usual."

"Cut the crap, Bonnie." Her eyes narrowed at him in a challenging manner. He returned the gesture. "One minute you were all ready to leave the bastard behind, then you go back and save him? Then you lose it when I kill him? Did you forget that you were the one who killed him first back in Retro World?" Bonnie's ears pounded from the thrum of her heart as her chest rose and fell with the breaths she took. "Then you find out that he helped bring you back and suddenly you have a soft spot for the bastard? He is a monster, Bonnie! He murdered his family in cold blood, or did you suddenly forget that?"

"You have no room to judge or a right to condemn anyone, Damon Salvatore." Bonnie reached out and poked him hard in the chest, sending a spark of magic zipping through him and forcing him to wince in pain. "And if you're weighing that out, _all life_ has weight which means that your mother's crimes overshadow Kai's, don't you think?"

"Lily is my mother!"

"And Kai is my friend!"

Her words seemed to visibly knock the wind out of Damon. He took a step back, looking down at her like she'd just told him that she was going to drop dead in a matter of minutes. "W-What?"

"You heard me, Damon," she said, her voice trembling for only a moment before she cleared her throat and shook her head. Curling her hands into fists, Bonnie steeled her feelings and tried to steady her breathing. "Kai is my friend. We became friends and that means something to me, okay? So don't get any crazy ideas about killing him the next time you see him. I won't idly stand by and watch you get the jump on him again."

Damon suddenly grabbed her arms and pulled her forward, shaking her firmly in his grasp. "Bonnie, Kai is not your friend! He's just using you. He's manipulating you and taking advantage of your good nature so that he can force you against your actual friends."

"You mean like how you have in the past? For fuck's sake," she snapped, shaking his hands off her. "I'm not a child. And like I told you, I'm not the same Bonnie any of you remember anymore. There's more to his story than what any of you know. No one is born evil, Damon. If you, Stefan, Elena and even Caroline are able to be given second chances for the things you've done, then who says that Kai can't be given the same opportunity?"

"He's different, Bonnie!"

"No he isn't! You just want him to be since that's more convenient for you." She sighed. "I'm through talking about this," came her dismissive response as she brushed past him and re-entered her house. "I've said what I needed to say on it. Don't come looking for The Ascendant again or I'll make you regret it."

"Bonnie..."

Looking over her shoulder, Bonnie cast a somber expression to Damon. "Please, Damon. Don't make me regret it and don't make me hurt you. It's not what I want."

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon - The Grand Gemini Archives ~_

Kai poured over every square inch of material he could get his hands on regarding the Parker family and their history. The amount of text that existed on his family shouldn't have come as a surprise, but the fact that there were about five stacks of books lining the table he was currently sitting at almost disturbed him. And those were just the ones that had the Parkers as the stars of their stories in the annals of historical documentation. If the subject matter of his research wasn't so serious, he would have stopped a moment to text Bonnie that she should be proud of him for staying behind to be a good little student.

According to what he'd read, his line were among the first settlers to travel from Europe to represent their Coven - their influence stretching across various countries but centralized in England. Alongside the Manfreds, the Montoyas and the Bennetts. He remembered reading that once a long time ago, but had simply chocked it up to a minor anecdote. To think he'd be back here, looking at those same footnotes but in full detail now.

After soaking in mountains of text for what felt like an eternity, Kai finally stumbled across the information he had been seeking out. What he read had his heart racing as the onset of a migraine began forming at the back of his skull.

 ** _Malachai Emmanuel Parker_**

 ** _1752 - 1830_**

 _First record of a witch with no magical abilities of his own. However, he is able to draw magic with touch from other witches. A menacing red glow from the palms usually transpires during the process. Coined as a "siphoner" among his fellow witches, it is seen as both abhorrent and against standard witch practices to be born a witch with no abilities, forcing him to have to steal from others._

 _Attempts have been made to restrain Malachai Parker, but to no avail. Despite his lack of magic, his intellect has been paramount to the shaping of this country through his inventions and his ability of subterfuge. British witches have meshed in with those who have traveled overseas with the other Red Coats and his devices have helped tremendously in both subjugating and incapacitating them when conflict would ever arise._

 _One such device, called "The Draw", has been especially useful during these troubling times. The Boston Massacre would have been much worse had it not been for those devices being strategically placed along the square. It was confirmed that witches were among the ranks of those who participated in The Massacre from the British side._

Kai's eyes scanned the page, seeing a sketch of the same device that was situated on the table. His gaze shifted from the book to the device and then back to the book as he continued to read.

 _There has been talk of dissension among the ranks of The Gemini, due in part to Malachai's inventions. Specifically The Draw. From what it has been determined, there is no way to actively turn off the devices. They continue to draw magic from the areas in a very subtle manner - gathering up the mana inside and storing it away until it can be drawn out._

 _The only way to successfully draw out the magic from the devices is to have a siphoner do so. Any other witch who attempts to pull the magic out will only have their own magic drawn into the device. As the only known siphoner on record, this is clearly causing unrest among the other witches of the Gemini coven. A petition is currently being cycled through the ranks to have these devices destroyed. No discussions have been held with Malachai Parker on the issue as it is assumed he will not be pleased with his inventions being destroyed._

 _Contingencies have been in formulation regarding what to do with Malachai Parker once the war has concluded. Most in the Gemini are hoping that he will cooperate with the request to have his inventions removed from the planes of existence as they will only do more harm than good. Best case scenario, he will adhere to the requests of The Elders peacefully. Worst case scenario, the coven will force him into exile and be under constant supervision by other coven members so that he will not be able to create any other inventions in order to retaliate against the other coven members._

Slowly, Kai closed the book and leaned back in the chair - his eyes staring ahead but not really looking at anything. There was a soft drumming in his ears and he fought back the migraine that he knew was coming. His magic simmered just on the surface of his skin, his fingers curling into fists along the table. An idea was forming. A wicked, poetic justice sort of idea.

And then he grinned. Slowly.

"Well I'll be goddamned."

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _And the plot thickens! I'm trying my best to keep the suspense, mystery, drama and romance going as steady as I can and I hope that it's coming across in my writing. I'm thrilled with all the reviews/comments/feedback I have received and it lifts my heart so much to know that everyone is enjoying the story as much as I am writing it. This story has come to mean so much to me and I'm so grateful to all the positive responses and encouragements that have come from the BonKai community. We all appreciate this fandom for so many different reasons and for us to come together under one umbrella is so refreshing. Thank you everyone, again, for all the love. I love you all so much! Please continue to read and review and I'll see you in the next chapter!_


	18. Beyond the Invisible

**_AN:_** _Pausing for just a moment to return to the present. Just a moment though. I know how much you guys are enjoying the past, but I'll send you all back there soon, I promise._

* * *

Kai lost count how many hands had touched his shoulders; how many gentle squeezes had been given. He'd forgotten the number of times he'd nodded his head and forced a smile across his face - a smile that lacked any real feeling behind it and one that definitely didn't meet his eyes. The numbness had overtaken him and he felt like little more than a statue as he stood at the entrance of the main hall as others pooled in one by one or in groups. The world was completely desaturated - void of color save for the stark, black tint that stood out among the throng of those who came to pay their respects.

The Wake had been a somber affair. At least from Kai's end. He didn't even recall giving his remembrance speech, but he had. Clearly, he had to. The whole thing seemed to have blurred together from the moment he'd stepped into the facility.

Everyone who was in attendance had been informed of the change in Kai. Lydia had done her part as the eldest to make sure that everything remained hush-hush outside of family and The Gemini Coven. Those who failed to comply would answer to his daughter, Abigail. As the current Gemini head, she had the right to swiftly enact whatever punishments she deemed fit should word get out about Kai's "condition." There was a bit of confusion from the grandchildren, but nothing that wasn't readily accepted and understood. After all, they grew up in a world of magic. Being thrown back in time while simultaneously still existing in the present should not have been that surprising.

It had been dubbed as a "freaky magical accident" for the time being. At least until a better explanation could be given. Kai wasn't sure if he had one. Not yet.

As his eyes swept across the room, he felt his chest growing warm with the realization that so many people - family and friends alike - were in attendance because of Bonnie or Kai or both of them. Leaving Mystic Falls had been one of the better decisions Bonnie had made and it was solely on her own terms. It had taken her just a small amount of time - an adjustment period - to make her stead in Portland. Kai had done little during that time since she had been so stubbornly insistent on standing on her own.

She'd spent her entire life in Mystic Falls. It was all she ever really knew and understood. Her safe haven, so to speak. The only thing Kai ever really did back then was convince Bonnie that she should not ever be a product of her environment. If it was one thing he'd come to understand while living in the prison world and after meeting her, it was that anyone was capable of change. Even him. So long as they were able to have a little bit of help along the way.

Kai wanted to help her. He knew she was strong-willed and ridiculously independent. It was a result of how she'd been treated for so long. But that didn't lessen his desire to want to help her.

"Dad?"

A voice brought him out of his internal reverie and he glanced over his shoulder and met the gaze of his son, Josiah. Dark brows furrowed over steel-blue eyes and Kai couldn't help but blink in slight surprise. Out of all of his children, Josiah had been the more emotionally balanced one and equally as level-headed. He didn't know if it was a product of growing out of his rebellious stage as a child or if it was simply who he'd come to be over time. But when Lydia was out of sorts and Abigail lost in the cumbersome weight that came with donning the mantle of the Gemini's leader, Josiah was usually the one who kept everyone else in line among his siblings.

"Hm? What is it, Jo?" Even though his own twin had passed a few years ago, it still gave him pause to call his son in that manner.

Josiah stepped closer to him, his body shielding off others who attempted to get too close. He had always been a perceptive child - taking note of all the times it had irritated Kai to attend group functions with other witches since the sheer amount of magic that encompassed the area usually overwhelmed him. Especially through touch. Kai had had enough of people touching him today.

"Are you okay?"

He flashed his son a weak smile. "No, I'm not. But I'll be fine. I just need a little time."

His son nodded, watching people leaving the memorial area to reconvene elsewhere to eat the refreshments provided and engage in fellowship.

"Lydia, Emile and I came up with some ideas if you're interested?"

Kai tilted his head slightly, a curious expression painting over his face. "What do you mean?"

"Well, outside of family and the coven, you can't very well go around calling yourself Malachai Parker. Not anymore. It's too suspicious."

He nodded, folding his arms across his chest. "What did you have in mind?"

"Lydia did some finagling, called in some favors and we were able to draw up your death certificate so it's on record that you and Mom passed on the same day."

Kai's eyes widened slightly as his lips parted. "You," he said slowly, his brows cinching. "You guys faked my death?"

Josiah grinned, one that mirrored the deviousness from days of old. "Technically you _did die_ that day, Dad. Twice. Remember?"

"Yes, well," he snorted, rolling his eyes. "That's not really the point though, now is it?"

"No," replied his son easily. "But do you really want the authorities sniffing around, wondering where an almost eighty-something year old man is supposed to be and they can only find you?"

His son's logic was too sound. It reminded Kai a lot of his younger years when trying to convince Bonnie to go along with one of his crazy ideas. She usually relented, but not without pulling teeth.

"I suppose not."

"So, thanks to... _whatever this is_ that's happened to you," Josiah said with a casual gesture to Kai from his head to his feet. "You have some options."

Kai took a moment to look around them, surveying their surroundings, and then he gestured for Josiah to follow him out of the building and around to the back gardens. They greeted and thanked those that passed by before settling near a large tree. The morning light streamed down from the shallow canopy the tree's branches provided. Kai leaned back, his shoulders resting against the trunk as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his slacks.

"Tell me what you guys have come up with."

Josiah slid one hand into his pocket and the other brushed through his dark bangs. "Well, Lydia offered to fudge some records with Aunt Caroline's help to get you added to her family registry." He smirked to Kai and, in response, he raised his brows in silent question. "You'd be her son."

Even if he'd thought about it, Kai wouldn't have stopped the snort that escaped from him. Shaking his head, he raised his brows to Josiah - amusement dancing in his steel-blue eyes. "Her son, huh?" The fact that Lydia looked the most like Bonnie out of all of his children would have just made that too hilarious. "What are the other options?"

His son reached into the pocket of his suit jacket to fish out a pack of cigarettes. Slipping one between his lips, he covered the side of it with his mouth and then snapped his fingers to light the end with a spark of magic. Kai had never liked the habit, but Josiah was an adult and they all had their vices. Kai and Bonnie had fallen to booze. Some of his children had fallen to smoking. To each their own, as he so often said when they were growing up. Not like it hindered their magical studies so that was all that mattered in Kai's eyes.

He watched Josiah take a long drag from his cigarette, then exhaled the smoke from his nostrils. "You'd either be Emile's nephew or mine so, again, one of our children."

Kai laughed. He couldn't help himself. "I can't just be some distant cousin, three times removed?"

Josiah raised his brows slowly. "Come on, Dad."

"What? It's a reasonable question, don't you think?"

"With an absolutely unbelievable answer."

"Why do you say that?"

"Do I need to pull a mirror out for you?"

"Oh please," Kai said with a shrug. "I know I'm good looking, but having to shove it in my face isn't helping things."

"Dad, seriously, you stick out."

He lifted his chin up so he could peer at the sky. "Do I?"

"Like a sore thumb." Josiah chuckled and shrugged. "You always have."

Shaking his head, he sighed and flashed his trademark grin to Josiah. "Okay, well if those are my only options, which one is more believable?"

"That you'd be Lydia's son."

"Right." He paused for a moment and then scowled. "Ew, so I'd be a Calahan?"

"It's less conspicuous if you take a different surname."

"And my grandchildren would have to treat me like their big brother?"

Josiah grinned - the gesture mirroring Kai's previous expression. "Well, actually you'd be the middle child. It suits your personality."

"No, it doesn't. I was the eldest. I like being the older one."

"Well, you're not. Levi would be older than you."

Now Kai was itching for a smoke. Or a shot of whiskey. "You guys pick a name out for me too?" The question came out bitter, even if it hadn't been his intention. "Do I get to at least pick that?"

His son nodded. "Just let us know and we'll get the paperwork finalized."

"Geez," he grumbled, scratching the back of his head roughly. "This is just one giant fucking headache."

Josiah snorted at seeing Kai so frustrated. He knew that it was a bit uncharacteristic. At least for the father that he was used to being around. Kai had changed a lot over the years, but in the course of just a couple of days, he felt his old self coming back. The self that he had learned to tamp down and coax and smooth out thanks to his relationship with Bonnie and the life they'd built together. Now everything was changing in a way that he hadn't prepared for it. He hadn't prepared for himself to be thrown back in time again. Not like this. He had believed he was going to pass on with Bonnie. And even though he wasn't alone, it didn't make the reality any less easier to deal with.

 _Does this mean that I'm stuck in this endless fucking time loop? Am I no different than those damn bloodsuckers?_

His brows cinched further, his worry lines more pronounced than they had been earlier. The very idea of living forever, trapped in his human body and stuck on repeat after growing old enough to die? It was probably a worse punishment than being incarcerated in the 1994 Prison World all those years ago. Back then, he hadn't met Bonnie. After the fact, he had been able to live his life on his own terms and was able to build a future with her. Having to live his life _without her_ on repeat? This was worse than hell.

No. This _was_ hell. His own personal hell.

"You know," Kai said suddenly just as his son puffed out another train of smoke from his nostrils. Josiah raised his brows at Kai and he shook his head some, glancing over his shoulder to see the throng of people still milling about the establishment but making their way towards the back garden. "This almost reminds me of that time when your great-grandmother came to Portland."

"You mean Mom's grandmother?"

He gave a nod. "Yeah. It was years ago. I was still a kid and I'd just figured out what I was after having almost killed your aunt Jo on accident. It was pretty similar to how Lonnie found out she was a siphoner."

"I remember Mom talking about her Grams a lot when we were younger. Back when you both were teaching us magic."

"Sheila had been the Matriarch of the Bennett line back then before your mother took up the mantle." Kai paused, pursing his lips together slightly as he looked back at Josiah. "I sometimes wonder if she put a spell on me back then. Like she knew, even before I did, that your mother and I were going to meet under those circumstances."

"Wasn't she one of the ones responsible for creating the Prison Worlds in the first place?"

"No, the prison worlds themselves are a Gemini creation. But it's true that Bennett blood is needed to activate the Ascendants necessary to enter and exit those dimensions."

"Are there any other prison worlds left? Aside from the ones that were already made?"

"No," Kai lied. He wouldn't tell his children about the one he'd made when Abigail and Thomas had their tenth birthday. "I put a stop to that nonsense after I became the leader of the Gemini."

His son hummed in thought as he polished off his cigarette and then incinerated what remained of the filter. "Well, that's good. Though I suppose they have their benefits?"

"There's nothing beneficial about those things."

"It kept you alive and young long enough to meet Mom."

"...okay, so maybe there are _some_ benefits."

Josiah laughed, reaching out to grasp his father's shoulder. "Don't worry Dad. We're gonna get through this."

Kai smiled a bit, though he couldn't stop the worry from spreading out across his face. "I know, Son. I know." He lifted up a hand and reciprocated the gesture he'd been given. "Thanks for looking out for your old man."

"Hey, it's what the kids are supposed to do, right? Look after the old when we grow up and all that shit?" He tilted his head slightly. "Though I guess that will have to be reversed now that you've become young again."

Kai scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Don't even think about it. Your mother and I spent all of our lives taking care of you little hellions so you damn well better pay it forward." His trademark wolfish grin spread over his face. "Even while I'm looking fresh-faced like this."

They looked to each other, amusement reflecting in their gray-blue eyes, before sharing a hearty laugh. Despite the grim situation, Kai knew that he was in, it brought him peace and comfort knowing that his children were about to pull out all the stops for him to readjust back into the world. And even though that hadn't been the plan, it was something he was relieved to know that he now had family he could depend on. Because the coven didn't need to come before family.

Not anymore.

* * *

 _~ 1982 - Portland, Oregon - Parker Family Home ~_

Kai sprawled himself out across a sleeping bag in the tree house he and Jo had built together. With a little bit of magic and relatively skilled hands in the carpentry department, it was their own little sanctuary away from all the squeals and chanting and laughter and screaming that often circulated the Parker Home. When their mother wasn't over-saturating them with affection in response to the absolute neglect or heavy-handed discipline that their father was providing, Jo and Kai would often steal away to the tree house so they could disappear into their own little world.

Sometimes it was filled with the sounds of music from the little transistor radio they had and other times it was them studying and learning spells together. When they could manage it, they would sneak off in the middle of the night to climb into their sanctuary and tell spooky stories. Mostly it was Kai telling the stories since he was the better storyteller, often leaving Josette in tears from scaring her so badly. He'd let her eat the other half of his PBJ to make up for it.

It was a warm summer day. Kai had a bag of chips he was idly munching on and bottle of water at his side, reading through the latest issue of the Superman comic when he heard shuffling grass off in the distance. Thinking it was one of his younger siblings or Jo just milling about, trying to find something to do, he didn't pay it any attention. Not really. But when the sound got closer, Kai paused in his reading - his hand stilling just as it was about to flip the page.

"Excuse me?" a woman's voice called down from below. "Is anyone there?"

Kai turned over and sat up, resting the heels of his hands behind him while looking at the entrance on the floor.

"Malachai?"

His blue-gray eyes narrowed as he kicked his legs out and then forced himself to a standing position. He then hopped over the entrance and out the doorway that led out to the landing of the tree house. Kai peered down and saw an older black woman looking up at him from the yard. One hand was resting on her hip while the other gripped onto the strap of the purse slung over her shoulder. Her dark curls fell about her cheeks and shoulders and she looked to be around the same age as his father, dressed in a simple cotton blouse tucked into a pair of faded jeans - brown leather sandals adorning her feet.

"It's Kai," he said, defiance clear in his tone. However, the woman only continued to smile as she tilted her head slightly to the side.

"Kai," came her calm reply. "Yes, I think that suits you much better."

Dark brows furrowed over his eyes with suspicion. "Who are you?"

Her smile broadened. "Before I tell you who I am, can you figure out _what_ I am?"

"What do you mean?"

"Go ahead," she said with a gesture. "Take a moment and concentrate."

Kai didn't know what her game was. Had his father sent for this woman? Shrugging, he narrowed his eyes further while peering down at her - taking a breath before his lips formed into a thin line. It only took a few seconds, but when Kai felt it, the wind was almost knocked out of him. When he opened his eyes, they filled with wonder and excitement while he leaned over the wooden railing - the woman continuing to gaze up at him as amusement sparkled in her eyes.

"You're a witch?"

"Very good."

"But..." He paused, leaning back but still gripping onto the railing. "...who are you?"

"I'm Sheila Bennett."

"Bennett?" Kai's eyes widened slightly. "You're a Bennett witch?"

Sheila nodded and hummed. "I am indeed."

A new thought settled over Kai as he took a step forward to lean back over the railing. "Why are you here?" Panic struck his heart. "Are you here to punish me for what I did to Jo? Did my dad tell you to come?"

The woman laughed and shook her head. "No, Kai. I'm not here to punish you." He didn't believe her even though he wanted to. "Your mother actually asked for me to come. She told me you were having some problems?"

Kai frowned. "My mom did?"

That shouldn't have surprised him. His mother was always hovering over him. Ever since he'd almost killed Jo horsing around with her just a couple of weeks ago. His father had said he was cursed - an abomination. A shameful stain to their family. There had even been whispered conversations about isolating him away from the family but his mother had put a stop to it. For now.

Sheila gave another nod. "Yes. She said you were having a hard time controlling your powers?"

A scoff escaped his throat as he rolled his eyes. "I don't have any powers." He averted her gaze. _None of my own anyway._

But Sheila continued smiling. "Oh, I think you do, Kai Parker."

Kai looked at her, stunned by the woman's words. What did she mean by that? Even though he was frowning, his brows were raised in curious wonder.

"Mmhmm," she said simply. "I believe you have a very special little gift from what I hear."

"Everyone says I'm cursed." Kai pursed his lips together, not realizing that his eyes were getting misty. "Dad calls me an abomination."

"Nonsense!" The word came out both terse but light. "You're just different. That doesn't make you cursed."

He felt his outrage pooling out of him, his nails scraping along the railing. "What do _you_ know?!" he shouted down to her.

"Trust me. I know _all about_ what it's like to be different." Sheila lifted a hand up and then motioned with a soft up and down flick of her wrist. "Now come on down here so I can show you a thing or two about yourself."

Kai hesitated. He didn't know this woman or what she was all about. But there was something in the way that she smiled at him, coaxing him to come down, that eased the aching knot in his chest. Could he trust her? Surely she wasn't just saying things he wanted to hear so that she could take advantage of him. There was a warmth in her smile and a kindness in her eyes that he had never seen before - not even from his own mother. Despite his need to be obstinate, Kai felt his heart tugging toward her general direction.

Even though the logical part of his mind was screaming at him that this was all wrong, there was a part of Kai that wanted it to be right.

"Okay."

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Portland, Oregon - Manfred Estate ~_

"You made it home yet, Jo?"

Kai turned onto the pathway leading up to the Manfred Estate, his stomach flipping off into the nauseated zone at having to come back to this place so soon. He heard his sister shuffling about on the phone while he had it on speaker on the car's dash. As much as he didn't want to be back at this place, and as equally desperate as he was to get back to Virginia to check on Bonnie, needed to get this over with before his father decided to try and do something stupid while he was gone. The things he'd learned at The Archives coupled with what had happened at the dinner didn't sit well with Kai. Not a hundred percent, at least.

 _"Yeah, I just walked through the door."_

"Good," he said, parking the car and killing the engine. "Can you do me a favor and check on Bonnie when you get the chance?"

 _"Sure, but it won't be until later on this evening once I'm off work."_

He rolled his eyes. "Aren't you on maternity leave or something?"

 _"No one knows I'm pregnant at work yet, Kai. Jesus,"_ she snapped and this elicited a grin from him. _"I have a shit ton of other things I need to get squared away first before I request for extended time off."_

"Yeah, yeah," he said off-handedly, leaning back in the driver's seat. "Weddings to plan and all that mess. You're going to have it soon, aren't you? You know, before you start looking like some beached whale?"

 _"I wish I could hex you through the phone."_

A rumble of laughter was his response as he shook his head. "When a spell like that is able to be pulled off, I promise you that you'll be the one to get hit first, Sissy. Not me."

There was an annoyed groan that soon melted into a laugh coming from the receiver. _"Yeah, whatever. Just do it after I've had my kids."_

"I make no promises."

Kai wasn't sure how he was supposed to feel now that he and Jo were on speaking terms again. It was strange, to say the least. But it felt good. It reminded him of the times when they were younger - before their father estranged them from each other and all but had him isolated from the rest of the family. Kai hated that he had been forced into that life. Forced into compliance that he never wanted or wished for.

What right did any of them have to treat him that way? Because he was different? Because he'd been _born_ different? How was that any fault of his? It wasn't like he'd chosen to be the way that he was. And with his father beating the idea of leadership into his head since he was a child, it was no wonder Kai had gone completely unhinged and temporarily lost his mind.

Coven before family? Well, it was little wonder he was able to kill his siblings without an ounce of remorse all those years ago. He had _relished_ in their deaths because he had been conditioned not to care. They were just obstacles in his way. Especially Olivia and Lucas. Josette was no different.

 _"Anyway, when are you heading back to Mystic Falls?"_

Kai stepped out of the car and straightened out his jacket, phone propped up on his shoulder against his cheek while running his fingers through his hair. "Either tonight or first thing tomorrow morning."

He heard Josette hum on the other end and what sounded like paper being shuffled around. _"Coven business?"_

"More like marriage business," he scoffed.

There was a brief pause from Jo before she resumed her paper shuffling. _"Are you actually going through with it?"_

Kai pulled the phone back from his face to look at the contact picture of his sister in disbelief - wishing he could give her the look in person. He pressed the phone back to his ear. "Hell no! Are you fucking crazy?" he snapped, slamming the door behind him in irritation. "I'm about to walk straight into Julian Manfred's house and tell him that whatever arrangement he and Dad cooked up is off the table."

 _"I don't know if that's a good idea, Kai. Julian may not be one of the current presiding Elders, but he's slotted to take the next open position and you know the Manfreds have been pretty close with us for generations now."_

"Yeah?" Kai started making his way up the stone driveway toward the manor. "Well so were the Bennetts. But hey, who's keeping track these days, right?"

Jo sighed. _"Look, Kai, I get it okay? All I'm saying is-"_

"I know what you're saying, Jo, and I'm telling you that I'm not doing it." He felt the muscle at his jaw tick with frustration. "I'm not marrying anyone that isn't of my choosing. Period. You're not the only one who gets to live your life like you want."

 _"Kai..."_

"And don't you dare tell me that you're different. You got to have everything you wanted in life while I suffered for almost twenty years. There's a part of me that still wants to kill you for that, Jo."

 _"You can't blame me for that!"_

"Yes I can, actually," Kai said almost too easily. "What were you doing when Dad tossed me aside? Isolated me like some fucking diseased animal that he was too afraid to put down himself? What did you do when you were off practicing magic and I was forced to separate from you because I had no magic of my own? What did you ever do to help me?"

 _"That's not fair and you know it!"_

"Do I, Jo? Do I _really_ know?" He paused in his steps, his fingers curling tightly over the phone. "Because all I know is that when I finally couldn't take it anymore, when I found out the _real reason_ Luke and Liv were born, I went fucking postal and decided I was going to take everything that should have been given to me in the first place. It was _my birthright_ just as much as it was yours!"

He heard his twin's voice hitch in the receiver. He didn't know if he was hurting his sister's feelings. Part of him felt guilty for railing into her that way. But there was another part of him that was so angry that Jo had focused so much on her own survival that she didn't care what was even happening to him. Or, if she did, she was too afraid to go against their father to help him. They were young. They were still kids in a sense. Years of abuse and neglect had built a wall between them which was why it had been so easy for Kai to gut Jo with that hunting knife on that night.

Later on, after he'd been imprisoned for several years, Kai understood that there was probably nothing Jo could have done. Not against Joshua Parker and the fucking Gemini. But there was still that lingering resentment that clung to his heart. He had been alone for so long. His twin should have been there for him. Jo should have been protecting him and not Olivia and Lucas! Why, when he needed her the most, had she ultimately chosen to abandon him just like everyone else?

 _"Kai, listen-"_

"Forget it, Jo." His voice sounded drained as the numbness overtook him. "I'm not trying to fight with you. In hindsight, there's no real justification for what I did. Instead of murdering our siblings, I should have just killed Dad." Kai looked at his watch. "Look Jo, I've gotta jet. I'll talk to you later, alright? Don't forget to check up on Bonnie."

There was a brief pause before he heard his sister hum. _"I won't. Just...be careful, okay?"_

"All-Powerful Gemini Coven Leader, remember?" Kai smirked and began making his way again toward the manor. "I'll be fine."

He slid the phone into his back pocket as he hopped up the short flight of steps of the house. He took a moment to fidget with his rings and then knocked on the door three times. The noise seemed to echo in the foyer and he rolled his eyes. He never understood having houses this big. It seemed almost a waste, really. And he inwardly felt a little sorry for the cleaning staff.

A couple of minutes later, one of the male attendants answered the door. "Greetings, Mr. Parker. Mr. Manfred is expecting you."

Kai resisted the urge to making a retching noise. He gave a curt nod instead. "Cool," he said as the attendant ushered him into the entryway.

"He'll be with you shortly. Allow me to escort you to the parlor."

Kai shrugged and followed the attendant into the parlor. Once he was left alone, he took a moment to really get a look at everything. Everything screamed "posh" and "snooty" from his perspective. Kai may have spent the better part of almost twenty years in a prison world where he didn't have to spend a dime on anything, but that didn't mean he couldn't spy out a complex when he saw it. The entire home was unnecessarily expensive. Even the gold trimmings on the fireplace's mantle seemed a bit much.

He remembered coming here a couple of times when he was younger. Before his family had all but ostracized him from the majority of Gemini functions. In fact, it wasn't long after Sheila Bennett had come to visit him that his whole life had turned upside down at an alarming rate.

Thoughts were rolling over the idea of the two instances being related when he heard heavy footfalls approaching. Kai turned around just as Julian entered the parlor. The man was tall, just a couple of inches taller than Kai, and he had medium length graying hair. Dressed in a simple light blue dress shirt tucked into a pair of black slacks, the man tucked his reading glasses into the pocket of his shirt and held his hand out to Kai. Kai took the offered hand and gave it a firm shake.

"Malachai Parker," he said with a smile. Kai forced one in return. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Just Kai is fine. And I came here to discuss some business with you."

They released each other's hands as Julian quipped a brow. "Business? Do tell." He gestured for Kai to have a seat in one of the wing back chairs as he crossed the room to where the various liquor decanters were situated. "Can I offer you a drink?"

"Gin if you have it."

"Gin it is." Julian poured Kai a modest amount of gin into a glass tumbler and did the same for himself. Making his way over to Kai, he handed him his drink and then took a seat opposite of him on one of the lavish couches. "So tell me about this business you wish to talk about?"

Kai sipped from the glass and then set it on one of the coasters in front of him. "I don't have a whole lot of time, so I'll just get straight to the point." His brows knit slightly, blue-gray tones darkening a measure. "Did my father offer up a marriage proposal to you?"

Julian blinked, his brows raising slightly. Kai's reputation for being blunt must not have been taken seriously. "I mean, yes, the idea was broached in passing conversation..."

"To your youngest, Andrea, am I right?"

"Correct."

"Well, I hate to break it to you," he said, steepling his fingers together. "But that proposal is being nixed."

Julian frowned. "Can I ask why that is?"

"It's simple, really." Kai leaned back against the cushions of the chair in an almost vain attempt to get comfortable. He fucking hated wingback chairs. "I am in no rush to get married."

The older witch chuckled as he took a sip of his drink. "Well, I would assume you both wouldn't get married immediately."

"The other thing is that I don't _want_ to marry your daughter."

Julian's frown returned and Kai smiled in response. "Is that so?"

"Afraid so," Kai said off-handedly, leaning forward to grab his glass of gin.

"Well, you both seemed to be getting along well after the ceremony."

"Appearances. You know how we Gemini are _so fond_ of appearances." Kai's grin widened.

"Andrea seems to like you very much," Julian replied, taking a moment to clear his throat. "I'm sure if you both took some time to get to know one another, you'd make a great pair that would benefit both of our families."

Kai sucked in air through his teeth, looking like he'd accidentally stepped on someone's foot. "Yeah, well you see, I don't want to be part of a great pair. I want to be part of an absolutely _perfect_ pair. I want someone who knows everything about me, accepts all that she knows, and doesn't want anything from me even though I want to give her everything." A chuckle rumbled in his throat. "And I'm sure once your daughter _really_ got to know me, she'd hate me. A lot. As you've no doubt heard, I'm not the easiest person to get along with."

"Who really is though these days?"

"Touché," he said with a chuckle, polishing off the glass of gin and setting it on the table. Kai then made to stand and Julian followed suit. "Anyway, that's all I really came to tell you. I appreciate your family hosting my coronation and I have no doubt that there will be talks in the future to better showcase my gratitude, but marriage won't be one of them."

"Very well." He gestured for Kai to follow him out of the parlor. "I will pass the message along to my daughter, but I can't promise that she won't continue to pursue you."

Kai laughed and shrugged. "She's free to do as she likes. I just think it will save her a lot of heartache down the road if she gives up now."

Julian nodded, walking alongside Kai as he guided him to the main entrance of the house. Just as he reached for the door, Julian's hand hovered over the doorknob and Kai cast him a sidelong glance in return. "I'm curious," said the older witch, causing Kai to loft a brow. "Is your reason for wanting to dissolve marriage discussions because of the guest you brought with you to the estate the other day?"

The playful smirk that had been on Kai's face dropped a fraction. "I don't see how that's any of your concern."

"I didn't mean to offend, Kai. I'm just wondering if that young Bennett Witch was a factor in your decision." He held a hand up to show that he wasn't intending to be hostile. "I meant no disrespect."

Bringing up Bonnie out of nowhere didn't seem like it was just innocent curiosity. But maybe that was Kai's own paranoia taking root. He didn't make it a habit of trusting people. Bonnie was a rare exception after eighteen years. He still was wary around Jo and Liv, and he would always be cautious around his father. The fact that Julian mentioned Bonnie at all bothered him and he wondered if his father was the one to drop that little bit of information first.

From what Jo had told him, Bonnie didn't really socialize much that night which, frankly, was fine by him. Kai wanted her to feel safe and as included as much as possible, stressing to both of his sisters not to let Bonnie out of their sight while he handled all the other obligatory bullshit before the ceremony.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, he rocked back on his heels once as he popped his neck. "As I told you, I just have no desire to marry your daughter. I know what kind of person I am and I wouldn't be able to make her happy."

"I see," was all Julian offered him before opening the door. "Well, it is a shame either way. But I suppose I have no choice but to understand where you're coming from."

"Glad to hear it," said Kai as he stepped out onto the front porch. "I trust you'll know what to do should my old man try to bring this up to you again?"

Julian smiled easily. It was the sort of smile that Kai could recognize on most people because he'd done it so often himself. It was one that was forced - a smile that didn't really meet the eyes at all. This gave Kai pause as his own casual smirk fell slightly.

"Of course."

Giving the older witch a two-fingered salute, Kai hopped the steps from the porch and made his way down the stone walkway. Already he was pulling his phone out from his back pocket, shooting Bonnie a quick text before checking the flight times heading to Virginia from Portland. He needed to get the hell out of Oregon. Coven Leader or not, he wouldn't be comfortable back in his home state unless he had some backup. And right now, Kai knew he couldn't trust anyone to have his back save for one lone Bennett witch. But to him, that was enough.

If Bonnie had his back, then that was the equivalent of having an army of witches - at least in his eyes.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - McKinley, Virginia - Whitmore College ~_

"We hate to see you go, Bonnie," said Kimberly as she took the paperwork that Bonnie had just finished signing. She was Bonnie's fellow English Lit classmate and also worked part-time at the Registrar's office.

Bonnie gave a weak smile. "Yeah, same." She shrugged. "But what can you do, right? It's what I get for having a sucky immune system."

"Did you talk to all of your professors?"

"Yeah, of course," she smirked. "You know Professor Saltzman would never let me live it down if I withdrew and didn't tell him."

Kimberly chuckled. "I always wondered why you both were so close, but I found out from Caroline that he was your history teacher back in high school?"

Bonnie nodded and then rolled her eyes. "Yeah, high school. Feels like a million years ago." She took the offered sheet of paper from Kimberly that confirmed she was, in fact, withdrawing from Whitmore.

"Well, I'm gonna miss you. Are you going to be coming back for the fall term?"

"I'm not sure yet. I hope so, but anything could happen during the summer and I think the time off will do me some good." She turned to leave and waved over her shoulder. "I'll see you around, Kim."

"Later, Bonnie!"

Bonnie exited the office, her eyes catching Caroline and Elena cradling their books against their chest. They both looked guilty and concerned but Bonnie just shrugged and laughed while shaking her head. "You guys look like I just signed off on my death certificate or something."

"The irony of that statement isn't lost on us, Bonnie Bennett," said Caroline as she pouted. "Seriously, did you really have to do this? Between Elena and myself, we could have gotten you through the semester."

Elena nodded as they began walking through the halls thick with student activity. "Yeah, even if we had to compel the whole university faculty to do it."

"And that," said Bonnie, raising a finger and then shaking it back and forth with a grin, "is precisely why I am dropping out this semester." Her two friends looked at her, confusion settling on their faces. "That is just a giant headache I am not about to let either of you take responsibility for nor is it one that _I_ want to be held liable for."

"You know," Caroline chimed as she hip-bumped Bonnie who, in turn, hip-bumped her back with a laugh. "Alaric is going to hate that you're dropping his class. After everything you guys have been through together."

"It's not just _his class_ I'm dropping." Bonnie rolled her eyes. "It's just one semester guys. Come on."

"We're just worried about you, that's all." Elena sighed, casting a sidelong glance to Bonnie as they continued their way outside of the building and toward the quad. "Especially since you've been spending so much of your time with Kai."

Bonnie groaned, already not liking where this conversation was going. "Did Damon open his stupid mouth?"

"Yes. And I'm sure he added his own dramatic flair to it like he always does." Caroline flashed Bonnie a grin and, again, Bonnie rolled her eyes. "But now even _I'm_ curious. Even more than when you showed up at the boarding house with Kai in tow." Bonnie shook her head as she plopped onto a bench with both of her friends falling down on either side of her. Caroline leaned in closer, causing Bonnie to lean back in response. "Did you sneak off with Kai this past weekend?"

"I didn't sneak off anywhere." Bonnie puffed one of her cheeks out. "I distinctly remember telling all of you I was going away for the weekend and that I would hardly be around my phone."

"Yeah, but you didn't just go away anywhere." Elena's voice was filled with concern. "You went to Portland. _With Kai Parker._ "

"So?"

" _So_ ," Caroline stressed, leaning in further which made Bonnie press her back against Elena's shoulder. "What's the deal with you two? Something's up and you better spill your guts, Bonnie Bennett."

"Elena," said Bonnie through clenched teeth. "A little help here?"

Despite how she knew Elena felt, it brought Bonnie some relief to feel her friend laughing at the awkwardness that Caroline was creating for her. "Sorry Bon, I can't help you. Detective Caroline Forbes is on the case and there is no mystery she can't solve."

Caroline gave a triumphant laugh as she leaned back to add theatrics to her gesture. "Damn right!"

"There's nothing to tell, Care." There was a soft vibration in Bonnie's purse and she began fishing through it to seek out her phone. "He just invited me to come to some Gemini thing and I needed to get away from Mystic Falls. Mostly I just needed to get as far away from Damon and Stefan's mom as possible."

"Damon mentioned dropping by your place the other night." Elena's brows furrowed. "He didn't try to get the Ascendant from you, did he?"

"Of course he did," Caroline interjected, frowning as she angrily brushed her hair out of her eyes. "It's Damon."

Elena sighed slowly, turning guilty eyes toward Bonnie. "I told him to drop it."

"You know he won't," Bonnie said as she pulled out her phone to check her messages. "Which is why I'm more determined than ever to destroy the damn thing."

Caroline hummed thoughtfully, brows scrunching together as she pieced some ideas together. Bonnie could only imagine what she was brewing around in that head of hers. "Is Kai helping you with that?"

"He's the only one who can, really." She blinked a few times, surprised to see that it was a text from Kai's twin, Jo.

 **Jo: _Hey Bonnie! Are you busy?_**

 **Bonnie: _Hey Jo - no, I'm not busy. What's up?_**

"You know, all jokes aside, Kai's a hottie." Bonnie looked up to see Caroline's preening expression and she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I wouldn't blame you if you were entertaining the idea of hopping into the sheets with him."

Bonnie's jaw dropped, as did Elena's. "Caroline!" they both said in unison.

The blonde shrugged. "What? I'm just saying." A wicked grin crossed her face. "You're blushing Bonnie. Are you trying to hide something from me?"

"N-No!" stammered Bonnie, catching her notebooks that almost slid off her lap. Her heart seemed to have been jump-started and she mentally cursed herself for having two childhood friends who happened to also be vampires.

Her phone vibrated again and Bonnie looked down to see she'd gotten another message from Jo.

 **Jo: _I have to work today, but I was wondering if it would be alright for me to drop by your place later this evening? I was just wanting to check in on you._**

"Liar! You can't fool me. I can hear your heartbeat going a mile a minute." Caroline leaned in further, crowding her space much the same way as Kai often did. "You better confess to me before I proceed to tickle torture you."

 **Bonnie: _Of course, that's fine. I'll see you tonight._**

She sent the message and dropped her phone back into her purse, her eyes narrowing in playful warning. "I will hex you into next week."

Caroline's lips formed into an 'O' before she blinked, then laughed in a challenging manner. "You would _dare_ launch a spell at your best friend?"

"I sure would," she said easily, puffing her chest out slightly. "I'd do it in a second."

The blonde vampire puffed out her cheeks, causing both Bonnie and Elena to laugh. "You're both just the worst! I hope you know this."

"We do, Care. But that doesn't mean you love us any less."

"True." Bonnie laughed as she watched Caroline's lips purse together. "But that doesn't make it fair."

"If it's one thing we've learned it's that life isn't fair," Bonnie mused, feeling her purse vibrating again. She just assumed it was Jo confirming that she would see her tonight and decided to leave it alone. "Anyway, since I don't have classes to worry about, I think I'll spend the rest of the semester doing some studying."

Elena leaned back on the bench, stretching her legs out and kicking the heels of her boots into the grass. "Studying?"

"Yeah. The trip to Portland opened my eyes to some things."

"Like the obvious attraction of a certain male magic user to a pretty little witch who happens to be our childhood friend?"

"You're reaching, Caroline," Bonnie said, stretching her arms above her head and making a satisfied noise as she cracked her back.

She hummed thoughtfully. "Mmmm, I dunno. I'm pretty sure I'm on the money with this."

"Listen, Bonnie," started Elena, causing Bonnie to quip a brow. "I know I'm not one to judge-"

"Then don't." Bonnie felt her lips forming into a thin line.

"-but are you _sure_ you want to keep tangling yourself up with Kai like this? I mean, he's like a walking time bomb."

"A _hot_ time bomb." Caroline beamed to them both and Bonnie just pinched the bridge of her nose. She could feel a migraine coming.

"I'm serious," stressed Elena, her brows knitting further as she dipped her hands to grasp onto Bonnie's. "Bonnie, I know that he did some horrible things to you in the prison world. You weren't here when he unleashed his wrath on all of us." Bonnie felt Elena squeezing her hands. "I'm just worried that guy is still lurking inside there, waiting to just jump out and stab us all in the back."

"Elena..."

"I don't want anything happening to you. Not again. I've watched enough damage happen around you. Hell, even _we_ were the cause of it sometimes."

Bonnie could feel her eyes misting over and she pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth to settle her nerves. Caroline seemed to have sensed this and immediately pulled her into a side-hug, rubbing her hand up and down her back in soothing motions. God, what was wrong with her? Had she really considered unleashing her anger on the people that had been her family like this? But, there was still the whole issue with Lily and that was something Bonnie couldn't ignore. If her friends really cared about her, they would come to understand her feelings and her perspective in time.

Caroline stroked her fingers through Bonnie's hair affectionately and she couldn't help the laugh that sputtered out in what she could only deduce as a combination of guilt and relief. The blonde shook her head back and forth, moving to wipe the tears that almost slipped from Bonnie's eyes. "I can't speak for Elena when I say this, but whatever happens, we've got your back. The boys may be a bit idiotic, Damon specifically," she said, laughing when Elena gave a sharp 'Hey' and reached out to poke Caroline's side playfully. "But if it's one thing we've learned is that we don't want to see you get hurt anymore. Your happiness is our happiness. I want you to be safe and so stupidly happy that when I see you, I want the sight to be so sweet that my fangs fall out."

She rolled her eyes and laughed, pulling them both into a tight hug. Bonnie's fingers curled into the fabrics of their shirts, taking comfort in the soft vibrations of her childhood friends' bodies against her as they continue to laugh. It had felt like a lifetime since they were able to laugh like this - to simply enjoy a moment of peace and to just simply _be._

Had she known that this was going to be one of the last times they would be this close and to laugh this freely, Bonnie might not have taken it for granted.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett Home ~_

Bonnie was relieved that things didn't immediately spiral into awkward conversation the minute that Jo showed up on her doorstep. The last thing she wanted to discuss was the Gemini dinner party she'd been invited to, even though she knew that the topic was going to be broached somewhere along during the conversation. Instead, Bonnie decided to focus on Josette's growing little babies inside of her, expressed how happy she was that she and Alaric were going to be getting married and that she couldn't wait to see how she looked in her wedding dress. Bonnie was taking extra strides to make sure that every ounce of focus was off of her and on Jo for as long as she could squeeze it between her fingers and under her control.

But Bonnie knew it wouldn't last. In fact, she could sense the very moment that the topic was beginning to change. It was when Jo had suggested that she brew the next pot of tea when Bonnie had begun to rise from her seat at the table. The young witch watched Kai's twin methodically moving through the kitchen - as though the magic that was growing inside of her belly was helping guide her between the cabinets to locate all of the herbs. But then something else dawned on her and her eyes widened as she turned in her chair to look at Jo just over her shoulder.

"Jo? Did you ever-"

"Meet your grandmother?" Bonnie stopped breathing as the older witch turned and looked at her, the gray-blue eyes that were mirror images of Kai's looking back at her with empathy and familiarity. "Yeah, I did. Several times. I remember this house, too."

"Jo..."

"Not long after Kai was sent away to the prison world, I left home. With magic no longer in me, there wasn't any reason for me to stick around Portland anymore. Our family was aware of Bennett witch activity in the East and I...I knew that I would be safe. Sheila had that air about her from the moment I first met her."

"Yeah, Grams was always like that."

Jo nodded, folding her arms across her stomach. "I remember meeting your grandmother when Kai and I were both very young." The kettle whistled with life and Jo began refilling their mugs with fresh tea. "Your Grams taught me magic when she came to Portland."

Bonnie blinked, her lips parting slightly with surprise. "Grams went to Portland?"

The older witch tilted her head slightly and smiled. "Surprised?"

"Well, I mean yeah," mused Bonnie thoughtfully. "She was...well, from what I learned later, Grams was _the_ Town Witch. For her to leave Mystic Falls..."

"Sheila was a very powerful witch, Bonnie. Her wards were probably impenetrable even without her being there."

Bonnie moved her hand to cover her mouth as her brows cinched together in thought. She remembered Kai telling her back in the 1903 Prison World that if a witch was powerful enough, their spells would sustain themselves even in death. She knew that her grandmother was a strong witch. She wouldn't have been dubbed The Matriarch of the Bennett line otherwise. But she couldn't help but feel that there was so much more that she didn't know.

For the second time that day, Bonnie had to fight the urge to cry and she dug her nails into her palms to snuff the reaction down into the pit of her gut. Why did she have to keep finding things out this way? She knew her Grams had a reach to her - influence in ways that Bonnie still didn't quite understand. But it didn't matter. Just hearing stories about her, hearing things she didn't know, it brought a strange sort of comfort to Bonnie that she wasn't sure she would ever get tired of.

"Why did she go to Portland? When?"

"This was before you were born," said Jo, lifting up both mugs of tea and heading back to the table. She set one on the saucer in front of Bonnie and then slipped into the chair beside her as she cradled the other between her fingers. "It wasn't that long after it was discovered that Kai was actually a siphoner."

Bonnie nodded, her palms seeping out a small spell to gently cool the mug of the piping hot brew. "Kai told me what your father was like back then. How he treated all of you." Her lips pursed together in anger, recalling the threats that Joshua Parker had made against her regarding Kai and her place in his life. "I won't lie, I was inclined to believe that Kai wasn't telling the truth until I met your dad for myself."

Jo's eyes glinted with guilt before she let out a soft sigh. "After eighteen years of being away from my father and from finally being able to live my own life away from the influence of the Gemini coven, I actually almost forgot what kind of person he was. What our lives were like back then." Bonnie heard her nails scraping along the stoneware mug and she unconsciously mirrored her motions. "What Kai did was monstrous. It's practically unforgivable. But lately, I've been thinking more and more of what it was like for us when we were growing up and I honestly should have seen it coming a mile away. Miles, really."

"Weren't you on the receiving of that, Jo? Didn't you have to deal with any of it the way that he did?"

"No." Jo paused, shaking her head some. "No, not like him. When it was confirmed that Kai didn't have any magic of his own, Dad was quick to label him and isolate him from the rest of us. We were kids. We didn't know any better. I just thought it was a freak accident and, well, we're twins so it wasn't like it was the most comfortable feeling in the world to know that your other half was getting punished and not knowing why."

Bonnie sat back in her chair, blinking several times in wonder at Kai's sister. So it had been true. Everything that Kai had told her...had been the truth. There had been a part of her that still believed he was lying somewhere. If not for his sake, for hers. But it had been true. All of it.

"I know ignorance isn't much of an excuse," Jo said, cutting through Bonnie's reverie, "but that's really all I've got. I had _no idea_ of the level of abuse that our father was subjecting Kai through. As a kid with a parent who is the leader of an entire witch community who relies heavily on the decisions that he makes, the last thing you want to be seen as is a burden. But there was a part of me that was... _afraid_ of our dad. And, as a result, I was just as afraid of my brother. We slowly started growing apart until, finally, the dam broke and well...you know the rest."

"What about my Grams?" Bonnie didn't want to seem insensitive, but curiosity was compelling her. "Why was she even there in the first place? Did the Gemini have business with her?"

Again, Jo shook her head. "No. She was there because my mother asked her to come. Despite the overbearing attitude Dad had on us, Mom always tried to make up for it where she could and so she asked Sheila to come out and help with Kai and me. But mostly for my brother. She thought maybe Sheila could help control or even cast off whatever was wrong with Kai back then. There had been an incident just a couple of weeks before where Kai had almost killed me." Jo held up a hand just as Bonnie was about to speak. "It really _was_ an accident. We were still kids and again, we didn't know better."

There was a new thought nagging at the back of Bonnie's mind, one that made her frustration flare up momentarily. Why hadn't Kai said anything? Why hadn't he said a single thing since they'd been back? She had just assumed that Kai knew her Grams through reputation - not personally. Why had he kept it to himself?

"I see that look on your face, Bonnie Bennett." She met Jo's kind gaze, lips parting to deny whatever she was about insinuate but found that she couldn't. Instead, Bonnie chose to press her lips into a thin line. "I'll be the first to try to shove off Kai's transformation because of how horrifically he killed our siblings. But even I have to admit it, he's changed. I don't know to what extent yet. Jury's still out on that one."

She saw Jo smile to her and Bonnie tried to reciprocate the gesture, but all she could manage was a forced grimace. Her eyes lowered to the tea before lifting it to her lips and taking a long, thoughtful sip. She let the mug rest against her lips for a moment, processing everything she was discovering, before lowering the cup back down with a soft _clink_ on the saucer.

"You know, he probably didn't mention anything to you because he wasn't sure if you were actually Sheila Bennett's granddaughter." Bonnie's eyes widened as she looked back at Jo and the woman smiled warmly to her. "I mean, think about it. Kai was in 1994 for how long? He never would have guessed that the Bennett line would end with you, especially with the way we Gemini are with our broods." Jo laughed, alleviating some of the tension that had been lodged in Bonnie's chest. "When a Bennett witch suddenly ends up in his prison world, the last person he probably believed you were connected to was a woman from his very own past. In fact, Kai didn't even get confirmation of just who exactly you were until after he'd come back to our world."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Jo reached out and placed a hand over Bonnie's and she couldn't help but stare at it for a moment in surprise - the image of Kai overlaid on top of her and it was like she was transported back to the restaurant in Portland. "I don't have a solid idea of what exactly you and Kai went through back in his prison world. I don't know what happened when you both wound up in 1903 either. But I can tell you that he is changing not just because of Luke, but because of you."

"I don't want that, though! He can't just change because of me. What happens if I wind up getting killed? Then what? He goes on another murder binge?" Bonnie shook her head. "I don't _need that_ on my conscience, Jo. I just don't."

"Bonnie..."

"It's hard enough living just for myself now. I decided that I wasn't going to just throw myself into the mouth of danger anymore. I can't." She closed her eyes and shook her head some, feeling dejected. "I can't be responsible for his feelings either."

There was a moment of silence and Bonnie took comfort in it. She allowed herself to be blanketed by it for as much as she could before she felt Jo's fingers lifting her chin up and she reflexively opened her eyes to meet the older woman's gaze. She held her gaze for several seconds before Jo's hand moved to brush some of Bonnie's hair from her face and then moved to pat the back of her wrist in a comforting manner. A weak smile was all Bonnie could give her in return.

"Let me tell you something about my brother." Jo paused, brows knitting together a margin. "At some point in his life, Kai was about self-preservation. Not because he wanted to. But it was out of necessity. I...I realize that now." There it was again. That flit of remorse. Bonnie was absolutely lost as to why Jo would even feel like the Kai of 1994 was in any way her responsibility. "Our father pushed and shoved and smothered the Gemini traditions down our throats until Kai probably felt like that was the only way he could remain relevant in our world. He needed the leadership title as a way to validate his own existence."

"That's no way to live."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Her hand moved to fall onto Bonnie's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Anyway, the point being? For the first time in a long time, Kai is wanting to do something for someone _other_ than himself." The knot returned inside of Bonnie's chest and she reached up to curl her fingers into the fabric of her shirt in an almost vain attempt to ebb the strain of it back. "And that someone is you."

"Jo, I-"

"I know it's scary, Bonnie. I know it's something you don't want to be responsible for. But it's not something you _have to be_ responsible for. Kai's putting it on himself and it's by his own choice. You should know him by now that no one can actually force his hand. Not anymore anyway." She paused, raising the mug to her lips. "He's not going to do anything that he doesn't want to do. Not unless it benefits him and definitely not if it doesn't benefit you."

She didn't have any words. What could she even say to that? What was there _to say,_ really?

"I don't know what's going on with you two. You're both adults and responsible enough to make your own decisions so I'm not going to interfere unless I'm forced to. But I want you to know that no matter what, I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you." In that moment, Jo went from being a friend to a sister and a mother all in one instance and it caused Bonnie's vision to blur with the onset of tears. "And neither is he."

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett Home - Several Hours Later ~_

If Kai could have had the magical ability to force flight delays to no longer be a thing, he would have. Sadly, his magic only stemmed so far and he didn't trust his mind to transport him from one side of the country to the other. Who knew where he'd wind up? At the bottom of the Atlantic, more than likely. No, he just couldn't trust himself to do it and that was too much magic to blow off just because of his aggravation with flight travel. So, instead, he sent a text to Bonnie to let him know that his flight would be delayed and he'd be in late - to not wait up for him, even though he was secretly wishing that she would.

By the time he arrived back in Mystic Falls, it was well after midnight - just at the cusp of dawn. Somehow he'd had enough mental energy to pay his parking fee, managed to get behind the wheel of his Camaro and drove the seemingly endless miles it took to get to Bonnie's house. He'd have to thank that sleepy little town in Virginia for not having heavy traffic after leaving the city of Charlottesville. Between blasting heavy metal through the speakers and smacking the side of his face, it was practically a miracle he hadn't killed himself or anyone else on the road.

Every minute Kai was awake felt like a hundred years. The world blurred in and out of existence around him until he completely lost track of time. At least until the sun attempted to blind him with its rays just off the edge of the horizon. He was going to die.

And then the world stopped. Kai believed he was hallucinating when he looked up to see Sheila Bennett's house in front of him - his Camaro parked perfectly in the driveway. He almost fell into a fit of hysterical laughter as he leaned his body over to drape his arms along the steering wheel. His shoulders shook uncontrollably while he was lost in his tired, giggle episode. He took a few minutes to collect himself, clambered punch-drunkenly out of the car and locked it with a wave of his hand as magic lurched from his fingertips. Screw all the luggage and screw his keys. He'd get them after he pulled a Rip Van Winkle.

Malfunctioning robotic movements were all Kai could manage as he shuffled his way toward the door, fingers fumbling through pockets for keys when he remembered he'd told said keys to screw off. Bonnie could yell at him later for using magic. At least he wasn't breaking the door down like some caveman.

The world was fogging over and he shook his head roughly back and forth to keep himself alert for just a few more minutes. "Fucking hell," he muttered, bleary eyes cutting in every direction in order to adjust to the darkness.

Noise from the living room drew his attention and he saw the television was still on - rolling the credits to whatever movie Bonnie had going on in the background. His eyes moved to the couch where she was curled up, wrapped up like a little Bonnie Bennett burrito in a pale blue throw and half of her face snuggled beneath. From the stack of DVDs on the coffee table, he could only imagine how she'd spent the evening after Jo had left.

His twin had filled him in on what had happened when she'd come by to visit Bonnie that night. There was a part of Kai that had wished his sister hadn't divulged as much as she had. But there was another part of him that was grateful that his twin was able to put into words the things he'd been struggling with for weeks now. He was still new to this whole "empathy" thing.

Emotions. Feelings. _Feeling_ things. They were hard. Feelings were fucking hard. He didn't know how Bonnie managed to do it all these years. She deserved a fucking Nobel Peace Prize or some shit. He'd even ignore all those times she killed him. Water under the bridge.

But there was still so much that needed to be said. Questions that needed answers. Reasons for actions and what fueled those reasons in the first place. Kai knew he'd have to tell her everything, eventually. But he also wanted to make sure that their environment permitted them to do so. The last thing he wanted for either of them was to worry about what would be attempting to barrel down their doorstep on top of all the other stress that was undoubtedly going to get dropped at their feet. Surely Bonnie had had enough of living that way and Kai wasn't about to start.

Dragging his feet over to the couch, Kai fell to his knees and started poking Bonnie's side. She moaned sleepily, the sound muffled beneath the blanket and she proceeded to curl up even tighter into herself. He poked her again. The result was the same.

Kai took several deep breaths, attempting to obtain some semblance of a second wind, and then he stood up on semi-shaky legs. His hand waved to the television to shut it off (lest he forget) and then leaned over, scooping both the throw and Bonnie up into his arms. Kai hefted her up to readjust his grip, cradling her back and legs against him and then slowly made his way up the stairs. He was careful to make sure his footing was sound with each step he ascended, knowing that if he didn't break his neck falling that Bonnie would surely snap his neck as a result of waking her up from dropping her.

Pressing his shoulder against her door, he gently pushed himself into her room and smoothed back the comforter and sheet back with another whisper of his magic before settling her onto the bed - rolling her out of the throw so he could toss it onto a nearby chair. Kai watched her stretch her body out like a lazy cat, her arms groping for one of the pillows and tugging it against her chest - her legs immediately wrapping around the cushion and bringing a sleepy smile across Kai's face. Jesus, it wasn't fair how cute she was.

With what little energy he had left, Kai kicked off his boots and shrugged out of his jacket. He didn't even care if he was still dressed. He was too tired to give a damn. Falling face first into the bed, he inhaled the scent of Bonnie that was all over the pillowcase. After a few blissful seconds of this, he shifted forward onto the bed so that his chest was pressed fully into her back. Her back curled against him, molding into his frame. This caused Kai's eyes to flutter open momentarily, fearing that he'd woken her up. He waited with bated breath to see if she would stir and curse him out for disturbing her, but the motion never came. Instead, he watched the rhythmic rise and fall of her shoulders as she eased back into her unconscious state.

His arm draped across her hip, wanting desperately to pull her close so that he could fully wrap himself about her form but he abstained. However, he suddenly felt Bonnie's hand gripping his fingers that danced along her stomach - moving his hand up so that it slipped in between her breasts and nestled at the dip of her collarbone. Kai blinked wildly at Bonnie's back, wondering if she had, in fact, been awake. Her heartbeat felt normal and it wasn't until another sleepy moan pushed from her body did he understand she had done all of it in her sleep.

Fingers pressed gently into her skin, pulling her back against him so that their bodies molded together. His nose dipped forward, inhaling her smell as his lips brushed along her skin - lingering there so that he could selfishly pull all of her into himself. The sun was slowly pooling in through the sheer curtains of her window, thankful that his back was to it so he could shield her from the dawn. Tucking his face into crook of her neck, Kai murmured her name along the shell of her ear before the world fell into darkness.

The last thing he could recall was the gentle grip of Bonnie's fingers against his own, his name whispering from her lips in a gentle puff of air.

* * *

 _ **AN:** I know I say this at the end of every chapter, but seriously, you guys have helped inspire me and pushed me so hard with all of your comments and upbeat love and support. I cannot thank you enough for all of the positive feedback and it's clear that you all love this story as much as I've come to enjoy writing it for you._


	19. Somewhere I Belong

_~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett Home ~_

Bonnie felt unusually relaxed, her body sinking into the cushions of what she had believed to be the couch. But what was strange was how she was stretched out, noting that she never could stretch out fully on the couch before. Eyes opened slowly, attempting to focus on the world around her. The familiar scene of her bedroom, however, soon came into view and the weak, morning rays pooled in through the curtains. She could see it reflected off her wall. Blinking for a few more seconds to adjust to the lighting, Bonnie took a deep breath and then realized that her stomach was strangely warm.

An arm lifted up to peer under the blanket. But before she even took notice of a limb draped over her waist, Bonnie felt a deep breath inhaled against the back of her neck - causing soft goosebumps to pepper across her skin. Her fingers ghosted along the knuckles of the person she immediately recognized, even if she didn't take note of the rings on their digits.

Craning her neck slowly, Bonnie tried to peer over her shoulder but was met with resistance as Kai pulled her body even tighter against him. She gave a soft gasp, eyes widening as she attempted to figure out just what the hell had happened last night. When had he made it home and just how long had she been asleep? Had she been sleepwalking or was Kai the one who carried her to her bedroom?

He moaned softly against her skin and Bonnie wasn't sure how much longer she was going to be able to handle this close proximity with him. Relief, happiness and even a slight feeling of dread washed over her. The fact that she felt relief at all - waking up with Kai beside her? It disturbed Bonnie more than she would care to admit at that moment. But something eased the pressure in her chest when she felt Kai taking another deep breath, his chest expanding along her back and feeling his nose dip into the curve of her neck.

"Kai?" she called softly. There was no answer - only the rhythmic sound of his breathing.

 _And here lies the dilemma._

Gently, Bonnie turned in his arms so that she could face him. Kai sucked in a deep breath through his nose, his lips parting slightly as he tried to nestle himself further into the pillow. Her eyes roved his face before traveling down the length of his body - taking note that he was still fully dressed. She frowned, her brows knitting together slightly as her hand moved to gently glide her fingers along his brow. They twitched in response to her touch and she bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. Bonnie never really paid attention to it before - not fully - but Kai looked incredibly innocent when he slept. The irony was that he was anything _but_ in his waking hours.

"Kai, wake up," Bonnie urged again, her hand having slipped down over his shoulder and giving it a gentle shake. "You're still dressed."

He moaned softly, his lips forming into a thin line and shaking his head gently. He looked like a petulant child trying to fight against being woken up to go to school.

She nudged him again, resisting the urge to laugh. "At least get comfortable."

"I _am_ comfortable," he murmured, his voice raspy and thick with sleep.

Bonnie shook her head, rolled her eyes and smiled. "You don't look it."

"I am."

"Kai."

"Bonnie."

She pursed her lips together and wiggled against him, shaking him further and Kai frowned - the gesture resembling the onset of a toddler's tantrum and she really did laugh this time. Kai groaned, moving his arms off her body so that he could groggily lift his shirt off. He threw it over her shoulder to the other side of the bed, shimmying out of his jeans and then kicking them out behind him onto the floor where it landed with a soft _pat._

"There, happy?"

Bonnie nodded even though he couldn't see it and said nothing. Clad in just his black boxer-briefs, Kai wrapped his large arms back around Bonnie and pulled her into his chest. Her palms fell against his skin as he cradled the back of her head - allowing her the space needed to nuzzle into the crook of his neck. Fingers dipped into her scalp, massaging it gently. Already her eyes were getting heavy but Bonnie shook her head gently in an attempt to keep herself awake.

"Kai?"

Again, he groaned and shook his head back and forth. "Bonnie, just let me _sleep_ ," he whined, sounding incredibly pathetic. She giggled softly while scrunching up her nose. "I'm dying."

"I was just going to tell you to let me out so you can sleep more comfortably."

"And I told you I'm comfortable. Learn to trust me when I tell you things."

Bonnie wriggled against him so she could have a little more breathing room. She struggled to keep her thoughts at bay, especially with Kai resuming his massaging gestures along the back of her head. She could hear Kai's breathing evening out and she was going to let him sleep, finally. But there was a nagging thought gnawing at the forefront of her thoughts.

"Listen-"

"Bonnie," he said quickly, opening both of his eyes to look straight at her - causing her breathing to halt momentarily. "I swear to whatever higher power is listening that I'm going to bite you if your reason for keeping me up isn't good enough."

She pouted, scoffing and then rolling her eyes. "I'll just leave then."

He tightened his hold on her. "Nope. Don't think so." Kai's stern gaze slowly melted into a relaxed one as he stifled a yawn. "Now what's up? Make it good or prepare for my nibbles."

Bonnie took a moment to toss her thoughts around, deciding if it really was worth it to broach the topic when he was clearly so tired. Then again, catching him in this state meant that he was more susceptible to speaking the truth than dodging her questions. She inhaled slowly, then exhaled as she allowed herself to get pulled further against him.

"Why didn't you tell me that you knew my Grams personally?" She gauged his expression, not sure if it surprised her or unnerved her how his face didn't shift in the slightest. "Why would you keep that from me?"

"It wasn't like I was hiding it." He casually shrugged which, in a way, made her want to smack him or pinch his nose. "I was just waiting for the right time to tell you."

She nodded, understanding his reasoning more than he probably would have believed. Even if it irritated her how easily he was able to give his answers. It was no secret that she didn't trust Kai initially. She had no real reason to, especially after he'd lied to her so many times before. But the more he showed that he was trying to change and be more honest with her, the more she was starting to accept that not everything out of his mouth was going to be false.

"Jo said that my Grams came out to Portland because your mother asked her to."

"Mm," he mumbled, his hand slipping from her head to rest along the nape of her neck. "It had been a couple of weeks after I almost accidentally killed Jo. I hadn't even been aware that I was a siphon up till that point. I just figured I was coming into my magic slower than my sister."

"What did she do?" She curled her hand into a fist. "I know she taught Jo magic, but what all did she do for you?"

"Taught me magic." The corners of his lips twitched slightly. "How to be a smart siphoner."

Bonnie blinked in surprise. "She did?"

Kai nodded, shifting his head a bit on the pillow to get more comfortable. "Yeah. She even let me pull magic from her so that I could practice." Bonnie's eyes widened in response and he grinned. "Back then I didn't have my own magic so there was no way for anyone to really teach me if I didn't have any. Dad kept me away from my other siblings, especially my twin. He thought I had intentionally tried to kill Jo. I was only ten." He frowned. "Shows you where my dad's head was at. Where it _still_ is."

Her brows furrowed, her eye-line shifting to look at Kai's throat for a moment. This was all so strange. Kai and Jo had been exposed to her grandmother at such a young age. It shouldn't have hurt her as much as it did to find this out, yet it did. She knew that her father was mostly responsible for her lack of magical education from her Grams. But she should have prepared her better nevertheless. Where Kai grew up in a world where magic was commonplace, Bonnie had missed that aspect of her childhood and had she grown up the way that Kai had, maybe her knowledge about her magic would have been better. Maybe she would be even stronger than she was now.

There was still so much she didn't know.

"How long was she there?" she asked, still not looking at him.

"Three weeks." All she could do was nod, but Bonnie still refused to meet his gaze. She didn't know how she'd respond so she wanted to play it safe. "I learned a lot about balance because of Sheila." Kai suddenly grinned and shook his head. "Too bad I didn't retain those lessons after being locked up for almost twenty years."

"You didn't hate her after you were locked away? For being involved?"

"Oh, I did." She flinched. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't. Especially since she'd stood her ground so harshly against my dad. But I don't think she knew that _I knew_ about that." This time Bonnie _did_ look up. He was grinning at her, but she could tell that it didn't quite meet his eyes. "Sheila was the only person on my side for a long time. Even after she left, she called to check on me and when I could manage it, I would call her back. We kept in touch more through letters than anything else. For years I ran to our mailbox like some lovesick idiot, waiting for her responses."

Bonnie's fingers curled into a fist against his chest, her eyes focusing solely on his face so she could continue trying to gauge his expression. Kai rubbed little circles along her neck, forcing her spine to relax. She hadn't even realized she'd gone rigid.

He sighed, his grin melting off into a faraway gaze - like he were recalling a memory on a slideshow right in front of him. "Things got worse though. Over time. Dad was relentless with his abuse and the isolation got even more severe after my mother died." He paused, closing his eyes for a moment and Bonnie felt a slight twinge of guilt for having brought the subject up in the first place. Kai laughed but there was no humor behind it. "And well, pretty sure you know about all the other stuff."

"Kai..."

"I'm only sorry that I let my anger and hatred get to that point. Like I told Jo, I should have just killed my dad back then."

"But then you would have wiped out the entire Gemini coven."

"Yeah, but would that really have been such a bad thing? It's no secret that our coven is pretty screwed up." He opened his eyes to look back at her. "Maybe I would have been doing the world a favor in the long run."

"My Grams didn't believe that."

"Sheila was an interesting woman, I'll give you that." Kai gave a half chuckle. His expression softened some. "Do you know that your grandmother tried to adopt me?"

Bonnie's eyes went wide as she leaned back a bit. "What?" Well, that was certainly unexpected.

He nodded. "Yeah, though I don't think she knew I was there for _that_ conversation. Jo let me siphon from her just before Sheila arrived and I cloaked myself so she wouldn't sense I was there listening in on that argument she had with my dad." Leaning forward, he bumped his nose against hers and it made her go slightly cross-eyed. "I didn't know the exact reason for her visit back then after all those years. Not at the time. It wouldn't be until later that I found out she was there to help my dad make the Ascendant for the 1994 prison world."

"Wow." It was all she could say. What else was she supposed to say to that? Bonnie continued blinking up at Kai, unable to really fathom her grandmother wanting to take him in. Not the Kai that she met back in 1994.

Kai frowned slightly. "You've got that look."

"Huh?" Her eyes went wide a margin. "What look?"

"That I-Don't-Believe-What-You're-Telling-Me look." He sighed, leaning forward so that he could press his forehead against hers. "You still can't trust me, can you?"

She shook her head quickly, forcing Kai to draw back a fraction so that she could look at him. "No, that's not what's bothering me."

"Then what is?"

"It's just...Look, it's a lot to take in, okay?" Bonnie reached up, her palm slipping over her forehead in an attempt to cool it. "I mean, I only have the life that I lived with Grams before she died. I didn't know anything about witches or about other witch covens. Not the way you did. I didn't even come into my magic until I was in high school..." She gave an aggravated sigh that huffed from her nose. "I'm not stupid enough to believe that Grams didn't have a life before I came into it. That would just be ridiculous. But I _am_ trying to wrap my head around the fact that you had such a personal relationship with her. Even to the point that she wanted to adopt you."

"I see."

Bonnie looked at Kai, surprised at the brevity of his response. Didn't he have more to say than that? Instead, he just looked back at her - the worried expression she held reflecting back at her from his blue-gray eyes.

She bit her lower lip, trying to figure out what the next thing was that she wanted to say or even ask. Wasn't there more to it? There had to be. It couldn't have been something as simple as that.

"You're wondering why she wanted to adopt me, aren't you?"

Her lips parted as she looked at him, her brows lifting in slight amazement. "...can you read my mind or something? Because if you can, I just want you to know that I don't take back anything I've ever thought about you. Ever."

He laughed, shaking both her and the bed. "Didn't expect you to. But no," Kai said, shifting his head back a bit more on the pillow. "I can't read minds. I can just read your facial expressions pretty well." He cleared his throat some, humming to himself as his eyes lifted to the ceiling in thought. "Sheila was fairly good at reading situations. Coupled with the fact that she's a damn powerful witch and my old man being painfully obvious in the personality department, I can say it wasn't hard for her to figure out just what the hell was going on."

"So why _didn't_ she adopt you?"

"Because the law is the law?" He gave a half shrug. "Can't adopt me if my parents don't let it happen."

Bonnie felt her anger flare up a fraction. "Are you serious?"

"Yup." She watched him close his eyes again, his head sinking further into the pillow. "She tried it more than once, I think. My mom was against it more than my dad, though he wasn't for it either. Mostly because he's a control freak and liked having me on a short leash."

She averted her eyes to look just over his shoulder. This was a lot of information to process and there was something that Bonnie couldn't quite wrap her head around. If Kai _had been_ adopted by her Grams, just how different would he have turned out? Wouldn't that make him her uncle later on in life? How weird would that have been, exactly?

"By the time my mom passed, I was...well, I was already too far gone. I don't even think Sheila would have been able to bring me back. Add the fact that she helped create the Ascendant to imprison me and, yeah, there really was no hope for me. Not back in those days."

"But then I showed up in your prison world. A Bennett Witch." Her brows knit together. "It never occurred to you to even wonder just who I might have been related to?"

"Honestly?" Kai raised his brows in question and Bonnie nodded. "No. Eighteen years of hell tends to skew your perspective on certain things and I really only cared that you were a Bennett Witch with the means to get me the hell out of that place." His honesty hurt, but she appreciated it. "To be fair, if I'd known you were Sheila's granddaughter back then, I might have tried to convince you to take me out of that place differently. I doubt it would have worked, but you had me up against the ropes and I was pretty desperate." He frowned. "I never wanted to actually leave you there alone, you know. I always wanted to leave together."

"I know." If he'd tried to feed that line to her months ago, she wouldn't have believed him. She would have actually melted his face off like she threatened to do before. But after spending time with him in the 1903 prison dimension, seeing his world, hearing his feelings and thoughts on things, and trying to gain a different perspective than the one she had locked in for so long, Bonnie was beginning to understand. "It's just so much... So much I never knew. I feel even more like an outsider."

She felt Kai lightly nudge her shoulder. "Don't. We're not in Gemini territory. We're in your home so if anyone should feel like an outsider, it's me."

"But my Grams _knew you_. She taught you magic and even wanted to go so far as to adopt you. You're no more a stranger in this house than I am."

Kai's eyes widened slightly, surprised by her words just as much as she was. How had she let that slip out so easily? And yet it felt natural for her to say it - like it was the right thing to speak out on. She'd even admitted it to herself. Nobody was _born_ a monster. Monsters were made. Joshua Parker had made Kai into a monster, turning him against his family in a way that most would have seen as unforgivable. Bonnie even knew that she would have been capable of something so atrocious had she been brought up in the same environment.

Suddenly, Kai pulled her toward him - his lips brushing across hers in a feverish kiss that she hadn't been prepared for. But that didn't stop her from kissing him back with just as much fervor, her mouth opening to the persistent push of his own. A moan was lost in his mouth as he slid his tongue along hers, nipping at her lips with his teeth as he continued to feed from her. Her breasts were pressed against his chest, the sliver of fabric that was her tank top the only barrier separating their skin. He cupped one side of her neck with his hand as the other slid down her leg to hike her thigh along his hip and Bonnie gasped from the suddenness of the motions.

He broke the kiss, his pupils blown wide - the pale ring of his irises barely there as he panted along her wet lips. Bonnie did the same. She could only wonder what she looked like at that moment. Then again, she didn't really care.

"If I wasn't so damn tired, you'd be in trouble," Kai whispered, moving forward so their lips were barely touching. "You can't just say things like that to me and not expect me to get excited."

She lightly smacked his shoulder which earned her a patented Kai snicker. "Down boy."

"I'm trying to behave." His eyes narrowed and Bonnie felt that familiar knot forming in her chest. "Stop making it so difficult for me to be good."

Bonnie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, because that's _my_ fault."

"Totally. I'm glad you're willing to take responsibility for your actions."

"Ass."

"I have a nice one, yes." His hand slid down her thigh, a yelp of surprise given as she felt Kai's hand palming her backside. "But I like yours better."

"Oh my god!" Bonnie groaned, attempting to roll away from him. "We were having a moment and now it's ruined. Way to go, Kai."

He laughed freely as she turned away, attempting to wriggle away from him. But she felt Kai's arms around her waist, dragging her swiftly across the bed so that her back was pressed against his chest as it had been when she first woke up. His lips were pressed against the juncture of her neck and Bonnie had to hold her breath for a moment so she could get her head together. If she didn't, she'd have to remind herself to breathe. Kai smiled along her skin and she slapped the back of his hand when she felt his teeth pressing against her in a nibbling fashion and she giggled softly.

"Don't go," he murmured softly. Bonnie relaxed against him. "Didn't you promise me that you weren't going to leave me alone again?"

"That was in the prison world and you know it."

"Why does it have to extend to just that? Can't we take it a bit further?"

She tried to turn her head but Kai's face was keeping her own in place, nestled against the pillow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I don't want to be alone anymore, Bonnie." His breathing was deep and with purpose - as if he were trying to pull in as much air as he could at that moment. Like he were trying to draw her into his lungs. "When I was isolated from my family, I lost Jo. I lost my mom. I lost my little brothers and sisters. Sheila was the only one who continued to be there for me. But, in the end, she couldn't save me from my own crazy."

Bonnie felt like her heart was going to slam right out of her rib cage. "Kai..."

"And then I met you. I meant what I said back then, you know? About wanting to be more like you." Kai pulled her closer to him - so close that she could feel his body trembling against her own. Her hand clasped the back of his wrist. "You were the first good thing to come into my life in such a long time. But I knew that I was too far gone to realize that. Not until after The Merge."

Her eyes misted with tears but Bonnie fought back against them. No. She didn't want to be crying like this! She'd had enough of shedding tears these days. And she knew that Kai would just blame himself for it like he was prone to doing lately. Honestly, she didn't want that either. Not completely anyway.

"I want to help you, Bon. I need you to understand that." He continued to speak into the crook of her neck, his voice muffled into her skin but still heard clearly below the shell of her ear. "I want you to trust me. Sheila...she was that one shining light in my life back then. She almost gave me something to believe in. But it wasn't enough. It should have been, but it wasn't, and I want to make up for it."

Kai moved to turn her around so that she was facing him again, his expression raw and so honest that it made her stomach turn flips. This was too much. She had expected him to be vulnerable while in his tired state, but not like this. Nothing could have prepared her for this and it both scared and relieved her.

"Your grandmother was the one responsible for creating that loophole in my prison world. I know it. She didn't have to, but she did. She did it knowing that I still had a chance. She wanted to believe it." He brushed some of her hair off her forehead. "And she did it knowing that you'd be the one to come into my world one day."

"Y-You thinks so?"

"Mm," he hummed, nodding slightly. "Bennett witches are known for their strong precognitive abilities. Your grandmother more than likely saw us meeting a long time ago. Probably after you were born."

It wouldn't have surprised her at all if her grandmother had had a vision like that. If anything, that would have made the most sense. After all, there shouldn't have been any way for Bonnie to get transported to the 1994 prison world without the Ascendant. The fact that her grams sent her there, out of all the worlds that had been created, should have been a tell-tale sign. But it was because it was the Ascendant, the world, that she had been responsible for helping to create. Because her Grams knew who exactly was going to be waiting for her there. Despite what had happened, Bonnie knew that her grandmother would never willingly send her into danger like that. Not unless it was something she could handle.

But her Grams probably never accounted for Damon to have tagged along either.

"Let me in, Bonnie." His words sliced through her thoughts and she blinked up at him, slightly confused. Kai grinned in response. "I want to pay it forward. I owe it to Sheila for everything she did for me and for bringing you into my life." Bonnie's lips parted as if to speak, but she didn't have a clue what she could say. "But more than anything, I want to do it because I care about you. I don't want you to needlessly throw your life away anymore. There's no sense in it and it isn't necessary. I'll teach you everything you want to know so you can understand your powers better. So you can have more control over it and so you can decide for yourself when and how you're going to help people from now on."

"But why?" It was hard for her to breathe, let alone speak. "Why would you do that for me?"

His lids fell to half-mast, his eyes darkening with something she couldn't quite place other than it being nestled closely to desire. "I told you. Because you said you wouldn't leave me alone again." Leaning in, he brushed his lips across her brow line, causing her breath to hitch as she gently closed her eyes - relishing this closeness far more than she would ever dare to admit aloud. "And you don't have to be alone either. You don't need to be. Not anymore."

A soft gasp collected in Bonnie's throat as her tears fell, her arms slipping around Kai as he pulled her into a fierce hug - the sob she'd been holding back escaping unintentionally. She felt his fingers drawing circles along her back. He was getting tired. More tired than he was probably letting on. But that was fine. Because she needed to hear that. Bonnie needed to know she wasn't alone anymore and she needed to hear it from someone who was going to be able to understand her better than the people who claimed they always had and always would.

As she continued to cry, Kai just held her against him - issuing soft shushing noises until the world grew quiet, still, and dark all around them.

* * *

 _~ 1982 - Portland, Oregon - Parker Family Home ~_

"You're wasting it."

Kai pressed his lips together into a thin line as he concentrated, his eyes hyper-focusing on the candle in front of him instead of Sheila who was standing off to the side and watching him. The flame had been lit, but now it was dancing and swaying back and forth against the swift breeze that was threatening to put it out. Sweat tinged his brow, slipping down his temple and falling from his chin. It shouldn't have been this hard to light a candle. In fact, lighting the candle had been the easy part.

Keeping it lit, however, was a completely different endeavor.

A sudden gust of wind pushed against Kai hard, almost knocking him over. His hands slid from his lap and fell to the grass, his control slipping and he watched with disappointment as the tiny flame disappeared. Only a soft puff of smoke remained until it, too, vanished into thin air. He frowned, his vision blurring as tears threatened to burst forth. It shouldn't have been this hard! It was just a stupid candle!

His shoulders tensed on reflex when he felt Sheila's hand fall against it, patting it gently in reassurance. He slowly craned his neck to look up at the older witch, blinking back tears as she smiled warmly to him.

"That was good, Kai." She slid down onto the ground beside him, folding her legs Indian style as her hands slid onto her knees. "But you're using too much magic. Because you don't have any magic of your own yet, you have to use what you have sparingly."

Kai's frown deepened as he cut his eyes away from her to glare at the candle. "This is stupid," he snapped, feeling his frustration growing. "Why is this so hard? It's just a simple fire spell!"

Sheila's smile fell slightly, her brows furrowing over her intense gaze. "It's not about casting the spell. It's about maintaining it." She tilted her head to the side. "You can cast a spell all day but it won't do you any good if you can't keep it around to do anything."

He huffed, folding his arms across his chest. This was so dumb. The spell was easy enough but it didn't matter if it stuck around long enough after it had accomplished its task, right? Of course not.

Her hand motioned across her body slowly, the wick burning to life with the tiny flame. Kai blinked, watching intently as Sheila held the spell effortlessly. Her eyes were locked onto the flame, fingers curled gently before she balled it into a fist and then set it in her lap. After a moment, she smiled and looked at Kai who finally remembered to breathe, air pushing from his lungs and causing the candle's flame to dance wildly. His brows cinched, feeling a little sorry for having disturbed the magic but the older witch shook her head at him.

"Go ahead and try to blow it out."

"Huh?"

She gestured to the candle flame. "Try to put the flame out."

He looked at her for a few more seconds before shrugging. If she threw a tantrum for knocking her flame out, then he could make fun of her for it after the fact. Kai inhaled slowly, filling his chest with air and then blew the air from his body as hard as he could. The fire from the candle barely moved. He stared at the candle flame with wonder, his eyes narrowing suspiciously before he started pushing quick puffs of air from his lips rapidly in succession. Again, the candlelight refused to go out.

Kai tried this for a few more seconds before giving up, his gaze lifting to look over at Sheila. She was smiling down at him like a child who had just uncovered some fascinating, new discovery. He puffed his cheeks out in defiance and this caused the old woman to laugh. It was nice - her laugh.

"How'd you do that?"

"Practice, Kai. Lots of practice."

Kai shifted his gaze back to the candle that still burned brightly. "But it's just a fire spell." He scrunched up his nose. "How are you keeping it lit?"

He felt Sheila's hand resting along the back of his head, his neck taut from the affection he was given. He wasn't used to this from people outside of his mother and even _those_ were being received in fewer spurts since he'd nearly killed his twin. She may not have said it out loud, but Kai knew that his own mother was starting to perceive him as some kind of freak of nature.

"Like I just told you. Practice." Sheila stroked his head a bit longer before gently patting it and then pointing to the candle. "It may be a basic spell, but I can hold it against outside forces because of practice. Don't you know how important it is to have _control_ of your magic, no matter how minor the spell?" Kai looked up at her, eyes wide with silent questioning. "Even after you get your own magic, using your reserves wisely is important. You've got to be able to focus. Make your spells count for something."

Kai slowly turned his head back to look at the candle flame.

"Repetition breeds habit, Kai. You need to be able to cast spells as easily as you breathe. It has to become second nature to you."

He nodded, his eyes still locked onto the fire. Suddenly, it disappeared and he blinked. He felt Sheila's hand return to his shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She then reached out to him with her other hand, waiting for him to take it so he could pull magic from her. The trust was absolute in her eyes as well as her smile. It made Kai's breath halt in his chest for just a few seconds.

"Alright. Let's try again, shall we?"

Kai felt his lips curling into a smile. "Yeah."

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett Home ~_

Kai woke to a comfy bed but no Bonnie Bennett. This caused his well-rested face to scrunch up into a frown, his arms reaching toward the empty space that had been occupied just a few hours prior. He moaned, not even wanting to think about just how long he'd been asleep. The ever prevalent debate on whether to open his eyes and wake up fully continued to war with his mind. There were other thoughts attempting to take over, overshadowing his need to stay asleep. To think that he had plans to Rip Van Winkle.

His plans were spoiled. Too bad. So sad.

His conversation with Bonnie replayed like an overly dramatized B-Movie. She had definitely caught him at one of his more vulnerable moments and Kai couldn't help but mentally praise her. She may not have realized it, but she was starting to pick up on some of his habits. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It meant that Bonnie was becoming more aware of her surroundings and taking the time to really study people. Better than she used to. At least that's what he could interpret from some of the stories he'd heard from others.

It also meant that Bonnie was less likely to wind up in situations that were not-so-desirable for her. Namely, scenarios that usually wound up with her getting almost killed. Or worse.

Rolling over onto his back, Kai stared at the ceiling - his eyes focusing on the world around him as the last dregs of sleep began to fade away. He took a moment to reach out, feeling for Bonnie's magic. He smiled when he felt the soft murmur of her aura moving about the house. Though curiosity drove him to get up and investigate just what she was up to. Clambering out of the bed, he slid on his jeans and shuffled his way down the hall and descended the stairs - noting the lingering smell of fried bacon and his mouth immediately began to salivate. His pace increased, his hunger pressing him forward.

As he entered the kitchen, he saw Bonnie huddled over a plate of food as she seemed to be completely focused on whatever was on her phone. She looked up when she heard him shuffling inside and making his way toward the fridge. She smiled in mid-chew and Kai flashed her an amused grin as he fished out the carton of orange juice and then proceeded to retrieve two glasses. He poured her a cup and then one for himself, admiring her handiwork throughout the kitchen. He hummed with appreciation.

"You didn't burn the kitchen down," Kai teased, sipping from his glass. "I'm impressed."

Bonnie scoffed, rolling her eyes as she shoveled more scrambled eggs into her mouth and then pushed the remnants of them onto the piece of toast on her plate. "Bite me," she said through a mouthful of eggs while crunching into her last piece of bacon.

He barked a laugh, half snorting into his glass and spraying some juice across his lip. His eyes went wide with delight as he attempted to dramatically place a hand on his chest but failed halfway through the gesture. Instead, he dissolved into a small fit of snickers. "Wow, that's mean." He leaned across the kitchen island, peering at her as she raised her brows at him. "And I'll bite you anytime. You might like it though."

"I hate you," Bonnie said with a groan, moving her hand out so she could shove him out of her space. "Shut-up and go make you a plate already, Jesus..."

Shaking his head and laughing more, he grabbed a plate from the cabinet and began loading it with scrambled eggs, bacon and the leftover toast on the plate. He waved his hand over the food, casting a reheating spell over the food before sidling up onto the stool beside her. Kai snagged her fork as she ate the last bit of her breakfast with it, a mewl of protest all she was able to get out between chewing her food. He immediately dug into the food, making humming noises of satisfaction. It was simple but delicious.

"Maybe I'm rubbing off on you after all," he said as he bit into a piece of toast. "This is good."

He watched her roll her eyes as she drank her juice. "Whatever."

"I'm serious, Bonster. This tastes great."

Kai saw her cheeks flush a bit, her green eyes brightening just a bit and the piece of bacon he was about to eat was suddenly forgotten as it hovered near his open mouth. Her smile was soft, appreciative, but still there. His heartbeat drummed mercilessly against his chest and he had to cough when he remembered he wasn't breathing. He felt Bonnie patting his back, assuming he'd choked on his food and not from the sudden lack of oxygen.

"What?"

He blinked a few times, reality coming back into focus. "Huh? What?"

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Kai shook his head, nibbling on the piece of bacon and grinning. "No reason."

She quirked her lips to the side, her expression clearly showcasing how much she did _not_ believe him. He chuckled and continued to finish off the bacon.

He continued to eat in companionable silence with Bonnie, her attention more on her phone. Which was fine. He still had things on his mind and particular issues he wanted to address. Unfortunately, Kai wasn't sure how he was going to press them to her. Truth be told, he was pretty confident that Bonnie wasn't going to go along with what he wanted to do. In fact, there was a good chance that he was going to have to fight her to get what he wanted. But this was about his survival within his own coven circles. And whether she realized it or not, his survival was ultimately _her_ survival too.

Kai devoured the last of his eggs, folding his toast over his bacon and biting into it before reaching into his pocket to pull out the siphoning device they had found in the 1903 Prison World. He slid it onto the counter in front of her and Bonnie just looked at it skeptically. Kai watched her replay the entire stint they had there in her eyes and he chewed thoughtfully.

"You brought that thing back with you?"

"Yeah," he said, swallowing down his food and chasing it with his orange juice. "I wanted to go into the Archives and do some research on it."

He smiled as he watched her carefully poke at it with her finger. "Find out anything interesting?"

"That's one way to put it." She looked at him and he shrugged. "Discovered that my ancestor was the one responsible."

"Why does that not surprise me?"

"It shouldn't. But it surprised me."

"I don't believe that."

"Okay, so finding out that _my ancestor_ was responsible wasn't as surprising as finding out _who_ had been the one behind it."

Bonnie's eyes shifted from the device, then to Kai, then back to the device. "...do I want to know?"

"I don't know." He leaned forward a bit which, in turn, caused her to lean back. He grinned. " _Do you_ want to know?"

"Curiosity compels me," she said finally, casting an upward glance back to him. "Who?"

"Malachai Parker."

There was a long stretch of silence shared between them. After a moment, Bonnie finally blinked and shook her head. "Excuse me, but what did you just say? _Who?_ "

Kai laughed despite how serious this conversation was about to be. "You heard me."

"Your ancestor's name...was _Malachai Parker?"_

"Yup."

"And he's the one who _created_ this thing?"

"Mmhm."

"You're not just saying that to screw around with me, are you?"

"Nope, I'm not joking."

She groaned. "You're not joking."

Kai looked around. "You hear that echo?"

Bonnie cuffed him on the shoulder and he laughed, rubbing it absentmindedly. It didn't actually hurt but it caught him off guard. The little witch had been complacent with her blows these days.

He hummed to himself quietly, closing his eyes in thought. Or at least that was how he probably he looked. He already knew what he was wanting to do. He just wasn't sure if Bonnie was going to go along with it.

"Damon came looking for the Ascendant the other day."

Immediately he opened his eyes, cutting his gaze straight to her. "What?"

She nodded, lifting her glass to her lips. "Yeah." It was all she offered him and he waited for her to continue. There was more to the story than that. "Lily must be putting on the pressure. But with _what_ , I don't know."

"Why does it not surprise me that Damon is a Mama's Boy?" Kai rolled his eyes and finished off his bacon and toast.

He watched her grin against the lip of the glass before her normal expression returned. "In any case, we need to hurry up and destroy the Ascendant. The longer it exists, the more dangerous it's going to get later on."

"I know, Bon," he said, frowning a little as he turned his body toward her. Kai reached out to her stool and pulled her closer to him. She made a soft squealing noise and he had to resist the urge to smile. "Do you trust me?"

Bonnie quipped a brow at him. "I don't trust that question."

"Bonnie, _come on_ ," Kai whined, leaning forward so he could rest his forehead on her shoulder. He felt her body shake from her chuckling and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into him further. "Trust me." He lifted his head to look at her, pout and puppy dog eyes on cue. Kai knew she wouldn't fall for it, but the effort was made regardless. "Please?"

She looked at him for a very long time, not saying anything. Her malachite eyes shined in the light of the kitchen and he noticed Bonnie straighten her back while keeping her arms still and resting along the island's surface. He could tell she was fighting with something - the soft shudder of her eyes a tell-tale sign that she was mentally rolling through a kaleidoscope of thoughts in her ever racing mind. He'd never met anyone who was constantly thinking, not like how she did; like _he_ did.

He didn't know how much longer he could take her just gazing at him in silence like that. The temptation to kiss her was too real and it made him shift with slight discomfort at how much he was starting to realize just how good being around her felt. How it _made him feel good_ to be in her presence and to soak up her soft brown skin, green eyes, and her dark chestnut hair. Now that Kai thought about it, he noticed that her hair was growing and the edges were reaching just an inch and a half below her jawline now. He caught himself wondering (not for the first time) since he'd spied her cheerleading photo what she would have looked like with longer hair in person.

Finally, she let out a huff of air and he wasn't sure if he should be relieved or worried. He felt her turning in his arms slightly, her hands folding gently in her lip as she cocked her head to the side. "I'm not going to go along with whatever you're planning or help you with any schemes until we get rid of the Ascendant." Kai's lips parted in surprise. he hadn't expected that response at all. "Got it?"

It wasn't the most ideal response to his question, but he'd take it. Kai leaned back and nodded, feeling his impish grin spreading across his face. "Got it." He stood from the chair, gathering up their plates and empty glasses before heading to the sink to clean up. "So, were you able to come up with any ideas on how to get the magic from your side?"

"I have a few," she mused as he turned on the faucet and began scrubbing the dishes. "A few that I don't like and would prefer not to entertain, but they're not off the table completely."

Kai glanced over his shoulder at her as he continued washing the dishes. "Oh? Mind sharing with the rest of the class?"

Bonnie gave a half grin, lifting up her phone nonchalantly. "Not really," she said. There was a soft shutter click that came from the phone and Kai realized she'd just snapped a picture.

He pouted. "Hey! No fair sneaking pics. You paparazzi."

"Who said I was taking a picture of you?"

"You take one of yourself? A...what are those called again?"

"Selfies."

"Yeah, you take a selfie?" He wrinkled his nose. "God, that sounds so stupid when you say it out loud."

She shrugged. "It's all the rage."

"So did you?"

Her grin widened. "...maybe."

With a flick of his wrist, the phone went sailing out of Bonnie's hand, followed by her cry of surprise. He paused from washing dishes to look at the picture and he smiled. It was a shot of him from the back, his head just barely turned while he was speaking to her.

"Damn, I have a hot back!"

The phone was pulled from him and he laughed, catching Bonnie's annoyed expression as she slid the phone back onto the island counter. "Don't give yourself so much credit."

Kai pouted as he put the dishes on the drying rack. "That's just mean." He turned around, leaning back along the edge of the counter as he wiped his hands off with a drying towel. "I tell you how pretty you are all the time."

"You're very pretty too, Kai." Bonnie smiled sweetly but he knew that over seventy percent of it was pure sarcasm.

After about another minute of pouting and fake smiling, the two of them started laughing. It was the first time in a while that they had been able to laugh this freely. Not having to worry about any underlying schemes or false pretenses. Kai felt genuine happiness spreading over him and he could safely assume that Bonnie was laughing of her own volition. They had reached a new tier in their relationship...whatever it was. He hadn't dared to put a label on it and neither had she. Because titles? Labels? It just ruined everything sometimes.

"Okay, okay," Kai said finally after catching his breath. "In all seriousness, what were your ideas? Maybe I can help."

"Well, the first is the easiest way but also the riskiest."

He stood across the island from her, leaning forward on his elbows as he peered at her. "Which is?"

"A seance."

"A seance?"

Bonnie turned and looked around. "You hear that echo?" She turned back to him, grinning, and Kai reached out to pinch her nose to which she squealed and smacked his hand away.

"Why is that risky?"

"Because the last time I did that, one of my ancestors possessed me."

"Ah," was all he said, waving his hand back and forth to shove that idea altogether. "Then let's not do that. Next?"

"Well," she began, picking up her phone and poking at it. "The next option is gathering a bunch of items that belonged to witches in my family and channeling their power from there. It's easier than going to where a bunch of witches are buried." Kai nodded as he watched her brows cinch slightly, forming worry lines across her forehead. "Besides, I doubt all of my ancestors are buried in the same place."

"Do you have a way of getting any of that stuff pretty quickly?"

"Well, a lot of Grams' stuff is still here. I just have to dig through some crates and trunks. I have a few of her grimoires, as well as Emily's. But I'll need more than that."

"Anything else?"

She nodded. "Yeah, my cousin, Lucy. She and I are the last remaining Bennett witches left alive. I know she has a few of our ancestor's things as well so I was planning on calling her to see if she'd be willing to come down to help."

"And where is she?"

"Salem, last I checked."

Kai smiled widely, his lips parting as amusement decorated his features. "A witch in Salem?"

Bonnie shrugged and smirked. "Hey, hide in the least likely place to look for someone."

"That's smart." He leaned back a bit, another thought rolling around in his head before he looked back at her. "What about your mom?"

"What about her?"

"Well, I know she's a vampire and everything now, but she was a witch once. Doesn't she have a spell book or two?"

"I mean, I guess?" He saw the dark look shadowing Bonnie's eyes and he slightly regretted having brought it up. "Is it really necessary?"

"It would help," he pressed, hoping that he wasn't coming off too presumptuous. Bonnie was pretty level-headed and practical. Maybe she would be able to see past her issues with her mother to pursue a bigger goal.

She gave a soft sigh, running her fingers through her hair. "I'll...I'll call her and see about it."

"Cool," he said, turning to head out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"

He spun back around, leaning against the frame of the entrance as he folded his arms across his chest. "Well, as much as I would love to keep you company all day, you have phone calls to make and so do I. I've also got errands to run."

She stood from her seat. "What phone calls?"

Kai held his hands up in mock-surrender. More a reassurance that he wasn't about to get into any trouble. "Nothing major. Just some real estate agents."

"For what?"

"Well, you said you weren't really planning on going back to your other house, right? You prefer to stay here?"

Bonnie's eyes widened slightly. "I...well, yes?"

"Then there's no sense keeping the other house. It's just more work for you." He saw the look of surprise dancing across her face and he smiled. "And I'm assuming you have everything squared away for here as far as who owns the property, correct?" Bonnie nodded and he shoved one of his hands into his pockets. "Well, there you have it. You can sell the other house, everything in it, and use the money for whatever you want to do. Sky's the limit, Bonster." After letting her take a few seconds to soak all of the information in, he snapped his fingers and drew her attention back to him. "Oh, and I figured I may as well see about getting you a better car. Yours has been put through the ringer."

She grinned wickedly at him. "I could always drive your car."

He clutched at his chest as if he were in great pain. "No! Not my sweet Camille!" Kai dramatically reached for the sky. "Camille!"

Again, Bonnie laughed and Kai knew he'd never get tired of that sound. It made him feel like a normal human being knowing that he was the cause of it. "Get out, you weirdo."

"I'll shower and head out." He flashed a grin at her and then gave her a two-fingered salute before darting up the stairs.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Town Square ~_

Bonnie sighed as she fell onto a park bench in the town square. Her legs were kicked out in front of her, the heels of her combat boots digging into the bright green grass as a soft gust of wind brushed up against her. It tickled her knees that were peeking out from the rips in her jeans and she rubbed at them absentmindedly. After a moment, she pulled out her phone and frowned. Her finger trailed across the name on her phone, the picture of her mother still on the screen from when she'd missed her call earlier.

She hadn't been able to get hold of her mother, not right away. Bonnie had left her a voicemail and within minutes she'd called back. However, she had been too shocked at receiving the phone call that she didn't answer. Instead, she'd let it go to her own voicemail and waited. Something about having her phone call returned so soon had thrown Bonnie off terribly and she couldn't bring herself to answer.

Lifting the phone up to her face, she let herself listen to the message that her mother left her one more time.

 _"Bonnie? I'm sorry I missed your call, sweetie. I was caught up with work. Bonnie, is everything okay? ...well, I won't ask why you're looking for magical items, but I happen to have a few books and talismans around the house still. The magical properties in them aren't as strong as my mother's and some of the others from our line, but I can send them to you. I'll overnight them today."_

There was a long pause on the line and Bonnie had to bite back the urge to end the voicemail there. She knew that her mother was fighting with something. Just like she was fighting with something before calling her initially. The memory of her conversation with Kai at the pub in Portland replayed in her mind.

 ** _"It's probably better that way. She wasn't a big part of my life to begin with. No sense kicking up a fuss now. I've gotten on just fine without her."_**

But as she heard her mother's voice sighing on the other end of the line, Bonnie knew that that wasn't the truth. Now, more than ever, she wished that her mother was with her. Because at least her mother would be able to tell her which way to go instead of feeling through the darkness like she had been for years. Only to wind up stumbling or falling completely into some pit with no way to climb out.

Her Grams had always told her to stay strong. She'd been trying to do just that: stay strong. But even Bonnie knew she had limits. She didn't know how much longer she could stay strong on her own.

 _"I'm glad you called, Bonnie. I don't know what's going on, but it was really good to hear from you. I miss you. I'll do better about keeping in touch. I realize just how much I've been lacking in the motherly love department. I won't ask for your forgiveness, but I can promise I'll do better. Call me later, okay?"_

She cleared her throat, wiping the back of her wrist across her eyes so she could quickly rid them of the tears that tried to mist over in them. No. She told herself she wouldn't cry and dammit, Bonnie was going to hold herself to that.

Scrolling through her contacts, she spied out her cousin's number and pressed her name. When her picture popped up, she placed the phone to her cheek and heard the ringing tone vibrate in her ears. After the third ring, she was about to give up and call later when she heard the fourth ring cut off in the middle.

 _"Bonnie?"_

Bonnie felt her face break out into a smile of relief. "Lucy, hey!" She leaned back on the bench and sighed. "I was worried you were too busy to answer."

 _"What's up? Is everything okay?"_

"Yeah, everything is fine." She paused, trying to find the right way to tell her what she wanted to say. "Well, a lot of things have happened and I decided to just drop out of school for this semester. But there's something I'm working on right now that I could use your help with. Are you still in Salem? I can find some time and fly up there or, if you get a break, maybe you could come down here? I'd love to see you, regardless."

There were some ambient noises in the background - a loud intercom blaring and Bonnie had to wonder just where the hell Lucy was at.

 _"Oh, thank you, yes...sorry Bonnie, I just landed at the airport."_

"The airport?"

She heard her cousin laugh. _"Yeah, it's funny you called because I'm actually in Virginia right now. I'm about to grab my rental and head to Mystic Falls. Didn't you know I was coming? Did Damon not tell you?"_

A heavy knot of anger began to form inside of Bonnie's chest. "Damon?"

 _"Yeah, he was the one who asked me to come down. Said you needed my help with something but was too proud to ask me yourself."_

"Oh he did, did he?" Bonnie stood up from the bench, pacing back and forth in an almost vain effort to bleed her anger out. It was only succeeding in fueling it further. "What else did he say?"

 _"Well, he said he wanted to meet up tomorrow since he knew I'd be coming in sometime this afternoon."_

Rage bubbled inside of her to the point that she risked decimating the entire square from the result of the fallout. She pivoted on her heels, making her way across the lavish landscape and to her car. "I see."

 _"Hey, I should be there in an hour or two and I have some time to kill. Do you want to meet up and talk about what you need my help with?"_

"Sure thing, Luce. Meet me at Grams' house?" She unlocked her car and slipped inside, already cranking the engine to life and pulling her seat-belt on.

She heard her cousin laugh on the other end. _"Sure thing. I'll call you when I get there."_

Bonnie pulled out of the parking lot and sped off, popping the clutch and kicking the car into a higher gear. "Be safe."

When she heard Lucy hum in response, she hung up the phone and tossed the phone into the empty passenger seat. Her fingers curled over the steering wheel slowly as she thought back onto the conversation that she and Damon had the other night. One particular sentence stood out above the others and she hissed a small intake of breath at the realization she'd just come to. It took everything Bonnie had for her vision not to go completely red from her fury. She took a breath and pushed her car onto the highway - only one destination in mind.

The Salvatore Boarding House.

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _I am so happy and pleased with all the love and support that everyone has given me. Things are starting to take a pretty drastic turn and we are about to get to a pivotal point in the story. Some difficult choices are going to be made soon and, hopefully, I'll be able to showcase the growth that Bonnie has gained from all of her experiences. I really wanted to focus on Bonnie and Kai's relationship up to this point - to show how much it's changed since the beginning of the story. It has taken some time, but we are getting there and we're even learning more about Kai's past (which is something I wish the show had showcased more). Again, thank you so much. You guys have been amazing! Please continue to read and review! See you in the next chapter!_


	20. I Ain't Sorry

Kai closed the lid of his suitcase, clicking the latches down to secure that everything was safely tucked away where it needed to be. Everything was ready for the trip back to Mystic Falls. After the Wake, he contacted the funeral home back in Mystic Falls and scheduled for the proper day to have transport prepared for Bonnie's remains. She was in her coffin, magic coating her body from head to toe thanks to Kai and there was no need for an "embalming" process as most humans had to undergo after passing on from the land of the living. Bonnie was probably halfway to Virginia by now.

There was a soft knock on the door and Kai looked up as he lifted his suitcase off the bed and set it on the floor. When the door opened, it was Lonnie who was poking her head through the threshold again. She saw that he was packed and she beamed brightly at him. "You ready?"

He nodded. "Have the others left?"

"Yeah," she said, pushing the door open. She had a small travel backpack slung over her shoulder as her carry-on item and a duffel bag gripped in her other hand. "It sucks we all couldn't get on the same flight."

"It happens. Besides, this was a last-minute deal anyway." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "We were lucky to all get flights going out on the same day."

"I wish we could just teleport." Lonnie pouted, folding her arms across her chest in defiance.

He smiled, ushering her back out the door and they made their way downstairs. Max was waiting for them, his own messenger bag and mini rolling suitcase in tow. His son scoffed, rolling his eyes before he slid his aviators on over his face. "If teleporting were that easy, witches would do it all the time."

Lonnie stuck her tongue out at him. "We _can_ teleport, jackass."

"I know we can," Max said, brushing some of his hair behind his ear. "But it also leaves us extremely vulnerable after we've done it. It's why it's not smart to do it too often."

Kai shook his head and smirked, motioning for them to hurry out the door so he could lock up the house behind them. "It's dangerous either way. I now declare this debate closed." He snapped his fingers and a ripple of magic could be felt behind them. They didn't need to look behind them to know that the house had been cloaked with a spell.

His other children were already on their way to Virginia, having secured tickets for them to head out earlier in the morning. Kai, Lonnie and Max would be heading out in the afternoon. It was probably better this way, seeing as how Lydia would be able to arrive and calmly explain things to everyone prior to his arrival. And if any of them got out of hand, Abigail would set the others straight. By force, if necessary.

The cab he'd called for earlier pulled up and once they all loaded their luggage, they were stuffing themselves into the back cabin and making their way to the airport. The drive to the airport was filled with laughter and light conversation. It had been a long time since they all were going to Mystic Falls. It wasn't like he or Bonnie hadn't encouraged their children to go and see their mother's hometown. There was history laced through every corner of that place. But Kai had a feeling that his children could sense their parents' initial reservation regarding the idea.

Bonnie had never voiced it out loud, but Kai could put the pieces together well enough on his own. She was always concerned that something bad would always happen the minute she stepped back into Mystic Falls again. She never believed that others were damned. Just the Bennett line. And if her children ever expressed desire to go when they were younger, Bonnie would have had no choice but to go with them. She certainly wasn't about to let them travel out there on their own and there was little Kai could have done back then seeing as he was constantly working as the Gemini Coven's leader. Add that to the pile of research he was trying to obtain to prevent The Merge from transpiring and there wasn't much Kai could do to help Bonnie with those problems. Not unless he went out of his way to do so, which he would have done, but Bonnie wasn't keen on letting him.

The woman was so damn stubborn. But he still loved her despite it all.

They arrived at the airport, unloading their luggage and getting themselves through TSA. Strange, even after all these years, it felt like security had quadrupled thanks to the acts of domestic terrorism. Kai was beginning to think it might be better for his kids to just move out of the country before things got too out of hand. But that wasn't really an argument or discussion he was much in the mood for. Not these days.

It didn't take them long to get boarded and situated, thankful that they were all sitting relatively close to each other in First Class. Kai wasn't about to let any of his kids take the economy class, no matter how affordable it was. You weren't a Gemini and lacking for funds. That was already silly. He remembered when Bonnie first realized she didn't have to shell out a single bit of money on her own. The look on her face when Kai told her she could quit her job? Well, it was priceless.

As the plane's captain and attendants did their final checks on the passengers, Kai waited for the all-clear before pulling out his cell and slipping his ear buds into his ears. He swept to _Miami Nights 1984_ and grinned more to himself than anything. Bonnie had first introduced him to the electronic group as a joke since it was "everything cliché about the 80s" that could be thrown his way. He had clearly been a bigger fan of the early 90s, but there was something terribly nostalgic about the sounds that MN84 brought to the table. There weren't any lyrics to the music - just sound. And sometimes that was better than being distracted by words.

The turbulence of the takeoff was felt through the plane and Kai felt Lonnie's hand grasp his fingers, giving them a squeeze and this brought his attention back to her. She had never been a fan of flying, much like her mother, and had often opted to just take bullet trains instead. Curling his fingers up to lace them through Lonnie's, he saw the look of surprise crossing her features before she smiled brightly back at him. Some would have believed them to have been a cute, young couple. But Kai knew better and so did she.

He didn't much care for the opinions of others. Kai only really cared about his family and the few close friends he'd acquired through the years thanks to his relationship with Bonnie. But outside of that, not much really bothered him or garnered his attention.

Yet he couldn't shake that uneasiness that was twisting up inside of his chest. He knew that there was going to be some shaken ground when he got to Mystic Falls. If Damon didn't already have speculations, they would only start surfacing the moment he arrived and the Mystic Falls Gang saw Kai stepping off the plane. He frowned, closing his eyes and falling into the sound of the music bumping in his ears.

No. He'd cross that bridge when he got to it. Right now? All he needed to think about was getting Bonnie back to the place where she wanted to lay her bones to rest.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - The Salvatore Boarding House ~_

Bonnie didn't even bother locking the car door when she pulled up to the Salvatore Boarding House. She'd barely remembered to even put the car in park and kill the engine. Her initial urge had been to drive her little Prius straight through the house - to start her message off right. But she'd abstained. She only had one car and that was her only means of getting around town for now.

She didn't knock. That courtesy didn't exist in Bonnie. In a burst of magic, she blew the door wide open - not even flinching as it slammed against the wall in her wake of crossing the threshold. The heels of her boots thumped with purpose as her body turned toward the main living area of the Salvatore home, her fingers curling up and toward the fireplace as flames roared with life in the hearth. Another flick of her wrist had the fire poker sailing into her outstretched palm as her legs carried her to the other side of the room.

With a solid grip of the poker's handle in both hands, Bonnie swung the iron rod with all the physical strength she could muster as an earsplitting crash rang out through the space - smashing the window. Glass rained down both inside and outside of the house - Bonnie trashing the remainder of the glass in the window pane out. The sunlight was warm on her face before she whirled around, swinging the poker and smashing all the liquor decanters that lined the fireplace's mantle - her eyes focusing on the amber and clear liquids dripping off the decorative mantle and onto the floor.

Just as she was getting ready to aim the poker at one of the cabinets, a pair of hands were gripping onto her wrists and holding them firmly in place. Soon Bonnie was staring into the furious and confused eyes of Damon Salvatore, his dark brows furrowed as he bared his teeth at her while she fought against his grip. Despite the rage boiling in her gut, she couldn't stop the slightly manic laughter from sputtering out of her.

"Are you out of your fucking _mind,_ Bonnie?!"

Her eyes narrowed as she sent out a crackle of magic into Damon, watching him scrunch his face up in pain as he struggled to hold onto her. But after a few more seconds, he released the hold he had on her and took a single step back. Bonnie swung the poker against the back of his knee, making his legs buckle slightly before she aimed a kick straight into his gut that sent him flying up and onto the couch. He landed on it hard, the force causing him to roll off the cushions and onto the floor. Bonnie managed a small sneer before she resumed her assault on the living room, shattering glass with another hard swing of the poker at the expensive liquor cabinet.

She heard Damon groaning as he clambered off the floor and she whipped her body around to face him, her chest rising and falling with the heavy breaths she took from her rage spilling up and out of her. He looked ready to rush at her, but Bonnie wasn't having it. Damon had only managed to take a single step before she lifted the coffee table up and slammed it into his body, forcing him back onto the floor.

Her vision was on the cusp of burning red. She could feel it and she wanted to let it bleed out of her and onto the floor before it ultimately consumed her. Bonnie felt her power boiling and swirling all throughout her insides, flirting with the idea of tapping into a darker power that she didn't want to touch. She knew she was angry, but she didn't want to rely on that force of her magic. Because the last thing she wanted was to lose control of herself.

No. Bonnie wanted to be completely conscious for this. She had to be able to see and understand and accept what was going on around her. Because her rage was well-warranted and she dared someone to tell her that it wasn't.

Bonnie took a step forward, preparing to unleash more of her wrath onto Damon. But a pair of strong arms bear-hugged her from behind, locking her arms at her sides and lifting her feet off the floor. Bonnie kicked and yelled, craning her neck in every direction to see who it was. She managed to look down and saw Stefan's daylight ring and she growled, her grip on the poker becoming more and more slack the tighter his hold got on her.

"Stefan!" she screamed, kicking her legs in the air while simultaneously trying to head-butt him from behind. "Let me go!"

"You've got to calm down, Bonnie!" he yelled back, which only resulted in her screaming in outrage. "Let's talk about this, okay?"

At hearing that, Bonnie burst into a wild fit of laughter. "Talk?! You want to _talk_ , Stefan?" She kicked her legs out into the air again, attempting to break Stefan's hold on her. "It's too late for that! I'm done talking!" She saw Damon knock the table off him and glared at the older Salvatore brother as he stood up on his feet. "You hear me, Damon?! I'M DONE TALKING!"

Damon's brows furrowed, a look of hurt spreading over his face and this only ignited Bonnie's fury even more. "Bon-Bon, listen to me-"

"SHUT-UP!" Bonnie screamed, tears springing up in the corners of her eyes.

She dropped the poker from her hands and then dipped her fingers down into Stefan's sides. Her nails dug into his shirt, her magic roaring with life as they glowed red. She could hear Stefan groan in pain from the heat radiating from her palms before he was finally forced to release her. Once he did, Bonnie immediately picked up the poker and swung it hard against Stefan's ribs, knocking him back with the added force of her magic and forcing his back to slam against the mantle of the fireplace.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Damon attempting to move against her and with a roar tumbling from her gut, Bonnie threw the iron poker straight at him - watching it spear him in the stomach. With a strong push from her magic, she lunged both of her hands forward and sent Damon flying into the wall. The back of his head slammed into the wall, but he still tried to struggle to pull the poker out of his gut. But Bonnie wasn't about to give him the chance. She took another step forward, thrusting her arm out so that the poker pushed into him several more inches - effectively pinning Damon into the wall. She didn't even wince when she saw him cough up a spray of blood.

"B-Bonnie," croaked Stefan from the ground as he struggled to get up, sitting up on all fours as he lifted his face up to look at her. She had a pretty good idea of what she looked like, even without the mild look of horror that spread over his face. When he tried to stand, Bonnie moved her hand over to him and pushed it forward - her tears sliding down her cheeks as he cried out in pain while his body slammed back down onto the floor.

"Stay down, Stefan." Bonnie's lower lip quivered before she pulled it in between her teeth. "Just stay down..."

Damon choked out more blood, bringing her attention back to him as her previously torn expression began dissolving off her face. Once she was sure that Stefan was going to stay pinned under her power, Bonnie took a step toward Damon - her other hand lifting up to him. Slowly, she pressed forward and, in turn, the poker pushed deeper into Damon's gut. His hands clutched at the poker, attempting to keep it from burrowing further into his stomach but Bonnie's magic was too much. She was too angry and the level of betrayal outweighed her conscious need to be merciful.

When she was less than three feet in front of him, her head tilted back slightly so Bonnie could look straight into his eyes. She didn't care that the front of his clothes was stained with blood or that a steady pool was dripping from his mouth. Even his strained and agonized grunts did not ease back her anger.

Sweat tinged both Damon and her brows, their breaths haggard for different reasons. Again, Damon tried to pull against the rod. Seeing him struggle against her made Bonnie's heart break. She had asked him not to do it. She had told him that she didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to!

Yet here she was: hurting him. And it was hurting her too.

"How could you?" she asked, her voice shaking with emotion. "How could you do this to me?!"

"Bon-"

"Did you think I wouldn't find out? That I wouldn't have _known_ that my cousin was in Mystic Falls?" Her tears continued to fall, her entire body trembling as she held Damon in place with her power.

"Bonnie, please-"

She thrust her arm forward and she heard Damon's ribs crack from the pressure. He screamed out in pain, causing a knot to form in her chest. She never wanted it to come to this. Not with him. Not anymore.

"I asked you not to do this. I _warned you_ not to do this."

Why couldn't he just listen to her? Why didn't he just trust her the way that she had grown to trust him? Why?!

"But you did it anyway!" Bonnie flicked her wrist, watching the poker bury itself even further until the hilt was just barely touching his stomach. "How could you just go behind my back like that?"

She shook her head, laughing softly but there was nothing pleasant about it. Bonnie was so hurt and she didn't know how else to express it except through violence. She didn't think that Damon would understand her pain otherwise.

"You know, I thought it was strange that you were only asking for the Ascendant and not for my blood." Her eyes narrowed harshly. "Coincidentally, I touched base with Lucy and found out that you called her here. You _lied_ to her!"

His grip tightened on the rod and he slowly began to pull it out, but Bonnie's magic held strong. She could see the vein at his neck popping out and there was a dark and sinister part of her that wanted to slit his throat open. Everything was hurting and she wanted to bring him just as much agony as he was causing her.

"How long are you going to keep manipulating me? How long are you going to keep manipulating my family?!"

"Stop it, Bonnie! I'm begging you!" cried Stefan. Her hold on him was weakening since she was putting so much of her focus on Damon. "This isn't like you!"

Dark laughter erupted from her as she craned her neck to glare at Stefan. "And who made me this way? Huh?" Bonnie cut her eyes back to Damon. "Isn't it enough that my line is practically _gone_ because of you?!"

She watched Damon's lips part, his teeth stained with blood as he tried to speak. But only a harsh coughing fit followed as another mist of blood sprayed out instead. Bonnie lifted a hand up to her face and angrily wiped away her tears. She couldn't be swayed by Damon's face. She wouldn't be pacified with Stefan's pleas. Not when her life was on the line. Not when the lives of those in Mystic Falls were on the line. Bonnie wouldn't allow the Heretics to show up and wreak havoc on her hometown. She wouldn't allow for her bloodline to be responsible for such a thing.

Something shiny caught Bonnie's attention just out the corner of her eye. Instinct urged her to pivot back, her gaze locking onto the knife that was now buried in the wall behind her. Quickly, she turned back around to see Lily standing in the entryway with another knife poised in her hand. Bonnie was sure that the murderous gaze on the older vampire was on the same level as her own. But that didn't matter. Let the woman come at her. She'd show her the power of a Bennett witch that wouldn't be trifled with.

"You will release them now, Bennett witch," seethed Lily, her eyes bleeding red as the spidery veins wriggled beneath them. "If you value your life, that is."

Bonnie smirked, her brows lifting as her eyes narrowed. "I value my life a lot, but I don't think I will." The hand pointing at Damon curled into a fist and his screams tore through the room. Bonnie's eyes never left Lily's. "And there's not a whole lot you can do to stop me either."

Lily scoffed. "There's plenty I can do. I'm just refraining out of concern for my sons."

"Oh, that is such horseshit and we _both_ know it," Bonnie snapped, shaking her head while laughing. "You couldn't care less about them. All you care about are those sideshow freaks that you turned because they can use magic." She paused, twisting her wrist so that the poker mimicked her movements - causing Damon to yell out again. "Having them here with you will make things easier for your little murder spree that you're planning."

"You're delusional, girl."

"No, I think I'm on the mark with this one, Lily." Her smile melted into a slight sneer. "You know, they think you've abandoned them. That you've left them there to rot for eternity." Bonnie saw the dark look crossing Lily's face and her smile widened. "And they'd be right. Funny, isn't it?"

"You'll be silent or I _will_ shut you up permanently."

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to act scared?"

"It's foolish that you're not," Lily said, her tone dark as she cradled the knife between her hands.

Bonnie shrugged. "Maybe, but not a whole lot scares me anymore." She watched Lily raising the knife in her hand and she glared at the female vampire. "Don't even try it. The only reason I haven't torn out your heart yet is because of your sons. But it's a different story when my life is put on the line."

Stefan managed to get back up on his feet, but he made no move against Bonnie. Instead, she saw him shuffling closely toward Lily. Probably in some sort of attempt to stop her from unleashing her wrath on the witch. Not that Bonnie cared. She had the upper hand for now. Because the only person who would have dared to throw himself against her was currently impaled into the wall.

"Mother," said Stefan calmly, taking another step toward Lily. "Mother, please just give me the knife. Bonnie's our friend and she's not actually going to do anything to hurt us. Nothing we can't handle anyway." He looked at Bonnie, his murky depths imploring her to go along with him. "Right Bon?"

She tilted her head back, raising her brows curiously at him. "Yeah...sure." Her hand lowered back down at her side while the other stayed trained on Damon. "Whatever you say, Stefan."

He reached out and grasped his mother's wrist, pulling the knife from her hand and then setting it on a nearby table. Lily took a deep breath and slid a hand into her jacket pocket. She pulled out her cell phone, looked at the screen momentarily and then pressed it to her face.

Damon coughed, watching his mother's movements. "Mom...w-what are you doing?"

"Shush, Damon," she said, pressing a finger to her lips but her cold gaze stayed locked on Bonnie. "Let Mommy handle this."

Stefan looked at Lily, appearing to be just as curious as what she could be up to. Bonnie kept her guard up, however. She wasn't about to fall for any triple tag team shit.

A few rings and then the other person on the line seemed to have finally picked up, causing Lily's serious expression to transform into a pleasant one. "Lorenzo, darling? Where are you?" Bonnie's brows furrowed as the smugness became more and prevalent on Lily's face. "Oh good. Well, we seem to have run into an unexpected obstacle." Her smile grew, taking on an insidious air that left Bonnie feeling cold. "So, when you find the Bennett Witch, instead of bringing her here..." Bonnie's face fell, her eyes widening slightly. "Kill her after you've taken her blood."

 _"VADOS!"_

A loud explosion rang out, sparks and glass flying in every direction as the phone in Lily's hand simultaneously shattered to pieces. Furniture, glass objects, statues and a few paintings flew off the wall as Lily, in turn, was gravitating toward the very items that were attempting to slam into her. Bonnie's hand shot out toward Damon, her magic yanking the poker out of his body only for her to fling it at Lily. However, Stefan caught it at the last second - his eyes wide with surprise and, dare she even think it, fear? Damon collapsed onto a heap on the floor, already trying to get back on his feet as he called out to Bonnie.

But she was done. She could feel the world clouding around her, the magic boiling and seeping out of her pores and ballooning out around her. The entire house shook with her power and Bonnie's breathing slipped out in rapid quivers. Her body was trembling with the house and more glass cracked and shattered. She felt tiny cuts littering across her body, but she didn't care. All she cared about was destruction and death - her vision finally flickering to red before flashing white.

She yelled, her magic causing the fire to roar with such ferocity that the tongues of flame leaked out of the fireplace and began racing up along the walls, scorching them in its wake. She jerked her arm forward, her mouth salivating from the power churning and burning dangerously inside of her. _"OSSOX!"_

Lily screamed out in pain as she came crashing to her knee, the bone snapping just below the kneecap. Stefan was at his mother's side, getting ready to speak but Bonnie was faster. And even if she hadn't, she was through listening. _"Phasmatos navaro pulsus sanguinox!"_

A blood-curdling sound wriggled itself out of Lily's throat as she began clutching at her shoulders, heat waves billowing off of her body and shimmering the air around her. Bonnie bared her teeth like a wild animal as she whipped both of her arms out and gathered up all the fallen shards of glass off the ground. Every point directed itself to Lily and she heard a horrified sound coming from Damon.

A strained noise exploded from Bonnie's lungs and she sent the glass flying straight for all three Salvatore vampires. She watched as both Damon and Stefan moved to shield their mother, the glass embedding into their backs as Lily continued to scream from Bonnie turning her blood into acid. They cried out in pain and she saw their backs rising and falling from the heavy intakes of breath as they struggled against the pain. More tears fell from Bonnie's face. The truth was right there before her very eyes. She now knew where her place was in their lives.

Her only concern now would be for her family and for herself. She just prayed she would get to Lucy before Enzo did.

Sobbing both in anger and frustration, Bonnie let one final roar burst from her chest. And then, with a flick of her wrist, she snapped all three of their necks.

Only silence remained. That and the shallow sound of Bonnie's breathing. She took only a moment before her legs carried her forward, glass crunching under her boots as she tore across the living room and hopped over their prone bodies. Bonnie didn't even give them a second glance, racing out the still open door she'd blown out with her magic.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett Home ~_

Kai's endeavor with the real estate agency had been a success. So had gathering up a few estimates on used cars (because he knew Bonnie wouldn't go for having a brand-new vehicle parked in her driveway). But he couldn't shake that uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. So, while normally he would have just left Bonnie alone for most of the day and come back later that night, he felt compelled to return to her Grams' house to make sure that she was okay. Especially since he knew she was going to be calling her estranged mother and her cousin.

However, Kai came back to an empty house and a note waiting for him on the fridge from Bonnie. Apparently, she had planned to be out all day and this both relieved and disappointed him. He'd wanted to watch _Full Eclipse_ with her so they could poke fun at the 90s supernatural take on werewolves. It was a classic and one that she'd probably enjoy if she gave it half a chance. It was usually a thing between them - him picking out an old classic while she introduced him to a new-to-him movie since he'd been stuck in 1994 for nearly twenty years.

He was getting ready to raid the fridge and mentally make a list on anything that needed to be restocked when the sound of a car door shutting caught his attention. He sensed magic and didn't think anything of it. He assumed it was Bonnie and he wasn't some sappy, needy puppy so there was no need to go and greet her at the door.

"Bonnie? Are you there?"

The voice, however, did not belong to Bonnie and this had Kai freezing up for a moment. Racing to the door, he peeked out one of the curtains of the windows nearby. He saw an older black woman - middle-aged. In fact, she looked to be about the same age as his twin, and, by default, his age as well. Her skin was a soft caramel, like Bonnie's, and her hair was a mixture of golden-brown and auburn. Her eyes were dark chocolate, seemingly endless and her full lips formed into a pout when she called again and there was no answer.

Kai opened the door, his steps cautious as he made his way out onto the front porch. The woman stopped short, her hands immediately lifting up as she met Kai's gaze. He held his hands up in response, but more to show that he was non-hostile than in retaliation.

"Who are you?" she asked, her eyes scrutinizing over him.

"I'm Kai, a friend of Bonnie's," he replied, taking another step forward. She didn't relax and, frankly, neither did he. "Who are you?"

"I'm Bonnie's cousin, Lucy."

At this, Kai let out a breath of relief. "Oh, thank fuck," he said with a laugh while shaking his head. However, Lucy didn't seem relieved and was still watching him like a hawk. He would have blamed it on being a Bennett witch, but he could probably guess that she was on edge because she was one of two Bennett witches left in the entire world. "Figured it would take you a day or two to get here."

"I was already on my way here." She took a few more steps toward him, folding her arms across her chest and he could feel her magic brushing up against him. Her brows rose curiously as his did the same along her own aura. "So, you're a witch."

It wasn't a question.

Kai grinned. "Yeah, so no need to try and do any weird witchy woo memory wipe crap on me." He tapped his finger along his temple. "I'm guessing Bonnie called you? That was pretty quick."

Lucy canted her head slightly. "Damon, actually."

His grin was instantly replaced with a frown. "Damon?" She nodded. "Why the hell did he call you?"

"It wouldn't be the first time he's called me. But it sounded pretty urgent this time." Her arms fell at her side, but not before she rested one hand along her hip. "A vial of blood isn't going to cut it I guess."

He didn't need any more information than that because everything was made clear in just that statement alone. It infuriated Kai that Damon was willing to go to such lengths, but he'd give him points for being tenacious. He at least believed that Damon would adhere to Bonnie's wishes. Apparently, that was just too damn good to be true.

"So, why _does_ Bonnie need my help but is too proud to ask me for it?"

Kai almost laughed but he bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself. That statement was true, but not in that particular instance. "Well, I don't know what Damon told you, but Bonnie and I need your help destroying a magical device and we need magic from both my house and hers. Hence why she was calling you in the first place."

She lofted a brow at him. "I see." She seemed to be trying to assess him, determine if what he was saying was the truth. Finally, she sighed and turned away from him to head back to her rental. "Well, I had been meaning to come out and see Bonnie anyway. There are a few things I wanted to pass along to her that I figured would help her with her magical studies." She paused, turning to look over her shoulder before grinning at him. "You gonna help me or just stand there like a bump on a log?"

He chuckled, shaking his head and made his way over to her. Lucy popped the trunk with the key fob, her body disappearing from his line of sight. Just as he was about to reach her side, however, Kai saw the trunk slam suddenly and Lucy was being held in the grasp of another man whose hand was covering her mouth. Her eyes went wide, her screams muffled against his palm.

The man had olive skin, dark hair and equally dark eyes who looked to be the same age as Kai was currently in the physical aspect. The muscle ticked at his jaw, solid and chiseled, but the smirk on his face showed that he clearly believed he had the upper hand. This made Kai laugh softly as he shoved one of his hands into his pockets while pushing the other through his hair. Letting his fingers rest along the nape of his neck, he popped it slightly in an attempt to get his annoyance to bleed off.

Kai's eyes lingered on Lucy's for a moment, giving her a reassuring smile before he cut his gaze back up to the individual who had so rudely decided to insert himself into the current situation. "So, who the hell are you?"

The other man's smirk widened. "I should be asking you that," he mused, his English accent thick and falling off his tongue almost perfectly.

Kai rolled his eyes, remembering once how his twin had fondly believed men with accents were to die for. "You're the one holding my friend's cousin hostage so I believe you're the one who is obligated to tell me some things, don't you think?" It didn't take him long to figure out that the man wasn't a witch. And he certainly wasn't just some regular human to be able to sneak up on a witch that way. So the list of options were getting smaller. "I'm assuming you're some supernatural bloodsucker."

"I'll give you props for coming to that sort of deduction," he said, shuffling onto the grass. Kai side-stepped so that he was still parallel with them. "Now, just who the bloody hell are you, kid?"

He reached his hand out, pressing it to his chest in a semi-dramatic fashion. "Me? Oh, manners. I'm Kai." He gestured toward Lucy. "Since you're not going to show me the same courtesy, be a gentleman and let her go. That's what all you Brits are, right? Gentlemen?"

"Lorenzo St. John." Kai watched him take another step to the side and, again, he mirrored his movements. "But my friends call me Enzo."

Kai hummed and nodded his head. "If it's all the same to you, I'll just call you Enzo." He pointed to him. "So Enzo? How about you let her go?"

"Afraid I can't do that, Kid. I have business with this woman right now."

"See, _that's_ where we have a problem." He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Because I have business with her also. And well, I'm not a very patient person so whatever you need her for is just going to have to wait until my little issue is dealt with."

Kai waited for Enzo to respond, watching the man's pupils dilate slightly. "You're going to walk away, go back inside and forget this ever happened, Kid."

He quirked a brow, his lips forming into an 'O' as he tried his very best not to laugh. If there were any speculations on just what exactly Enzo was, there wasn't anymore. For a moment, Kai could only stand there staring at the vampire who was still holding fast to Lucy. He couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't made a move, but probably had come to the conclusion that Enzo would have snapped her neck before she could have gotten the chance. Hence why he'd snuck up on her from behind in the first place.

But that was fine. He'd take care of this himself.

After several seconds of blinking, Kai felt his shoulders shaking before he snickered. Enzo gave him a look which only made him fall into a tiny fit of laughter. He shook his head slowly back and forth, _tsk_ ing as he waggled his finger in front of him. "Did you just try to compel me? Seriously?" He tilted his head to the side, his gray-blue eyes darkening slightly. "You're going to have to do better than that."

Enzo had a dilemma and it was one that Kai was gladly going to exploit. Extending his hand out, he curled his fingers slightly and felt his magic gathering all the way to the tips of his nails. _"Phasmatos superous em animi..."_

Popping his neck, he watched Enzo crumple to his knees from the pain. Lucy immediately pivoted on her heels the second she was released, her hands extended toward Enzo as he continued to scream from the magical agony that was being inflicted upon him. Whatever was being pushed on him from Kai was only being amplified by Lucy. Kai couldn't help but laugh, the thrill of his power flooding through him as he wielded it effortlessly against the vampire.

Just as he was getting ready to magically neck snap the vampire, Enzo managed to gather enough of his strength up to blur off and disappear. Kai frowned, his hands resting at his sides as he strode over to Lucy. She looked at him, eyes wide with a mixture of shock and gratitude.

"Thanks."

"No problem," he shrugged, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "You're Bonnie's family. It's the least I can do."

"You said your name is Kai." Lucy turned to face him fully. "What's your last name?"

"Parker." Recognition danced across her features. "And yes, I'm a Gemini."

For a while, all they did was look at each other without saying a word. Finally, Lucy brushed her fingers through her hair while blowing air from her nose. "I guess we have a lot to talk about, huh?"

He flashed her his trademark grin. "Yeah. Guess we do."

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett Home - One Hour Later ~_

Every minute and mile that inched by felt like a dozen years for Bonnie as she urged her car on the road to get back to her Grams' house. Traffic be damned. The world was working against her, she just knew it.

She knew that Lucy was going to be heading there. But she wasn't sure if Lucy was going to get snatched up at the airport and if she didn't find her cousin at the house then she'd have to perform a locator spell to see if she'd even left the airport at all. But Lucy wasn't just any witch. She was a Bennett witch and that had to mean something at the end of the day.

Bonnie's heart thundered in her chest, her grip so tight on the steering wheel she was positive she'd rip it clean off the dash if she wasn't careful. Her anger was still in full-force, even after having left the boarding house and she wasn't sure if anything was going to bring her down from it. If she saw Lucy alive, well, and safe, _then_ Bonnie would consider not unleashing her righteous anger all over Mystic Falls.

She put the Prius in park next to Kai's Camaro, stumbling out of the car while slamming the door behind her. Internally chanting to herself that if Kai was there, then everything would be fine. It was the one thought she was grasping on to in order to prevent herself from going completely mental in the front yard. Something she was positive the neighbors didn't need to see.

Taking note of the rental car parked on the street, she hoped that it was Lucy's. Bonnie fell to her knees on the grass, grunting slightly before she picked herself back up again and ran to the front porch. She didn't bother with her keys, choosing to open the door with magic and all but threw herself into the entryway.

"Lucy!" Bonnie yelled, her head frantically turning in every direction. "Kai!"

Bonnie darted forward, pivoting on her heels to lunge herself into the living room when she suddenly slammed into a broad chest. Looking up, she saw Kai's concerned expression that was tinged with amusement. He clutched at her shoulders and she gripped onto his forearms in response. "Whoa," he said while laughing. "Where's the fire at, Bonster?"

"Is Lucy here?" she asked, panic sliding further up her throat. "Where is she?!"

"Bonnie?" a voice called to her from the kitchen.

She spun around, still holding firmly onto Kai as her cousin emerged from the kitchen while drying her hands with a kitchen towel. Bonnie laughed and sobbed in relief, pulling herself from Kai's arms and running to Lucy. She wrapped her arms around the older Bennett witch, the woman clinging to her just as fiercely. She could hear her laughing with her, their bodies shaking from the actions as their magic touched - their auras reaching out and re-familiarizing themselves with each other.

It took a moment for both women to calm down before they pulled away from each other. Bonnie felt Lucy gliding her palms against her cheeks as her thumbs swept away the tears that she'd unknowingly shed. The older woman had tears in her eyes as well. It had been too long since they'd last seen each other.

"Lord, girl, it's good to see your face," her cousin teased and Bonnie laughed through her tears. "I think you've gotten even prettier since the last time I saw you."

"Jesus, I feared the worst."

They each took a step back but still held firmly to each other's hands. Bonnie glanced over her shoulder at Kai who was leaning against the wall and enjoying the reunion. At least that's what she could assume from the look on his face.

"This is Kai," she introduced, her voice softer than she'd intended.

"I know. We met earlier." Bonnie turned back around to face her cousin and saw the amusement spreading over her features. "Your boyfriend saved my life."

Bonnie's jaw went slack. "He's not my..." She cut herself off to glare at Kai who immediately held his hands up in mock-surrender.

"I said nothing."

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. Lucy shook her hands, bringing her attention back to the older woman and she saw her face light up with laughter. "It's okay, Bonnie. You're grown so it's not like you need my approval." Lucy looked to Kai, nodding her head slightly. "But he's alright in my book. Saving my life or the lives of my family will put you in my good graces."

Kai grinned and then winked at Bonnie. "Good to know."

She rolled her eyes, her gaze meeting Lucy's. "I'm just glad nothing happened."

Bonnie looped her arm through Lucy's, leading her into the kitchen before urging her to have a seat at the table. She was about to make her way to the cabinet but Kai was already ahead of her, motioning for Bonnie to go join her cousin as he pulled out mugs and a tea kettle. She watched him with surprise, her heart swelling with gratitude. A grip to her hand had her eye-line leaving Kai's busy movements and returning to Lucy. The older witch had a knowing smile on her face as she lofted a brow at her. Bonnie took more comfort than she'd intended when she felt Lucy's fingers brushing back a few errant strands of her hair.

"I think I missed you more than I realized," said Lucy wistfully. Her brows cinched slightly, averting her gaze and this caused Bonnie to wrap her fingers around her wrist so she could give her a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sorry for not being around as much."

Bonnie shook her head, laughing as she moved her hand to swipe at her cheek so she could rid it of a tear from slipping through. "It's fine, Luce. I know you move around a lot for safety reasons."

The kettle whistled softly and the sound of Kai pouring water into the cups made Bonnie relax a little more. They were safe. All of them. Bonnie really had worried she wasn't going to be able to make it in time and she was going to lose yet another member of her family. There was a part of her that was still reeling over the amount of faith she had in Kai the moment she'd seen his car. As though half of her anxiety had been poured out of her despite the other half being on edge.

"Not gonna lie, while Damon might have asked me to come down here, I wouldn't have bothered if he didn't mention you needing my help." Lucy propped her cheek on her hand, her eyes moving to look at Kai as he brought three steaming mugs on a tray over to them. "Though it seems I was worried for nothing."

Bonnie groaned, wiping a hand over her face as she peeked at Kai from between her fingers. He set each of the mugs down, settling down in a seat just to her left. "It's Ceylon. Nothing fancy." He looked at Bonnie and shrugged. "I would have picked something from out back but I know when to stay out of another witch's herb garden."

Lucy laughed. "Smart man. You don't know what might bite you."

"I don't mind the biting. It's the aftermath I'm worried about."

" _Anyway_ ," Bonnie stressed through her teeth after she elbowed Kai in the ribs. He gave a pained chuckle in response as he rubbed his side and she glared at him for another second before looking back at her cousin. "Did Damon give you details on why he needed you to come down here to help me?"

She shook her head, waving her hand over the steam to cool the tea. "No. But I assumed it was something more than just a vial of blood this time." Looking over the brim of the mug, Lucy sipped and eyed the two younger witches. "So, how and when did you two meet?"

"1994 Prison World," they both said in unison, to which Bonnie looked at Kai and she smiled at her with his trademark boyish smirk. She didn't expect him to be so blatantly honest.

Lucy's lips parted with surprise and she leaned forward, eyeing first Bonnie and then Kai. "You two met...in the Gemini prison world?" Her dark gaze lingered on Kai for a moment longer before she leaned back and set her mug back on the table. "And that means you're no ordinary witch."

"Look, I've done some things I'm not proud of, okay?" Kai held his hands up and then let them settle back around the mug. "Now that I'm out, I'm trying to make some changes. Starting with my own coven's ridiculous beliefs and practices."

"You sound like you have the authority to be able to do something like that."

"Well, seeing as how I'm the current Gemini Coven leader? Yeah, I'd like to believe I do."

Lucy whistled, raising her brows at her as she looked at Bonnie. "Moving up in the world, Cousin?"

"Oh my God," Bonnie moaned, practically face-palming herself as she shook her head. With her hand still pressed to her forehead, she looked up at Lucy. "So, now that I'm asking you directly, what are you going to do about Damon?"

"You mean other than snapping his neck?" Lucy sipped her tea casually as Bonnie's jaw dropped.

Kai suddenly laughed, causing both women to jump. "Wow, you Bennett witches are scary." He winked to Bonnie. "I like the way she thinks."

Lucy shrugged, cradling the mug between her palms. "I don't know. I avoided an unnecessary headache thanks to Kai and now that you're here to ask me yourself, I don't see a reason to really tangle myself up with that Salvatore boy."

"Good." Bonnie's eyes narrowed as she glared down into the mug of tea she still hadn't touched. "Besides, if they're smart, the whole family will stay out of my face."

"Which reminds me," Kai said suddenly as she felt his hand on her shoulder. "Why did you come in here running like some mad woman? Did something happen?" He scrutinized over her face and it caused her to flush slightly. It only just dawned on her that she'd pulled a classic Kai Parker maneuver at the Salvatore Boarding House. "How did you know that your cousin was in any kind of danger in the first place?"

Several seconds of silence passed between them before Bonnie finally let out a heavy sigh and cast her gaze downward to stare at his chest, the Soundgarden logo in full view before she looked back into his gray-blue eyes. Her brows cinched slightly and she bit the inside of her cheek before looking back at her cousin. Maybe making the confession to Lucy would be easier than having to deal with her own inner demons straight to Kai's face.

"After I got off the phone with you, I drove straight to the Salvatore Boarding House so I could get answers." She pulled her lower lip in between her teeth, replaying the entire affair in her mind and shuddering slightly. Bonnie couldn't even blame her behavior on Expression this time. "Long story short? I didn't like the answers I'd gotten. Then Lily called Enzo and told him to kill you after he'd gotten your blood and I just..." Bonnie paused so she could take a breath. "Well, needless to say, I left the Salvatores with broken necks before coming back home."

"You _actually_ magical neck snapped them on your own?" Kai sounded far too impressed and she elbowed him in the ribs again. "I can't believe it, Bonster."

"Not a fan?" Lucy asked and all Bonnie could do was blink at her cousin in surprise. "Girl, you better use that skill to your advantage. Especially if you have to stop through New Orleans for supplies."

"You've been through there since the Mikaelsons went back?"

"Hey, a witch has got to do what a witch has got to do. And sometimes a witch has to dabble in some blood magic and get some supplies from a voodoo practitioner or two." The older witch winked as she lifted the mug back up to her lips. "I scratch their back. They scratch mine. Law of equivalent exchange and all that nonsense. You should head over there when you get a chance."

Bonnie scoffed. "No thanks. At least not anytime soon. The less I have to deal with the Mikaelsons, the better."

"They're not all bad, you know?"

"No, but I trust Elijah about as far as I can throw him. Klaus even less."

Lucy grinned, shaking her head. "Still holding grudges, I see."

"Oh you have _no idea_ ," chimed Kai which earned him another icy glare from Bonnie. He made a kissing noise at her and she growled with disgust. "So, you'll be staying here, right Lucy? It's safer. Especially now that you have a vampire hitman gunning for you."

Bonnie nodded in agreement. "Yes, please? I'll feel better knowing you're close."

Her cousin smiled, reaching out to grasp her hand and giving it another comforting squeeze. "Of course," she said, tilting her chin toward Kai. "Besides, Kai already helped me unload my luggage into the guest bedroom. I brought a few things for you."

Kai stood up, rubbing his hands together in excitement. "In the meantime, I'll get dinner ready." Bonnie blinked up at him and he winked at her which, in turn, caused her stomach to curl up in knots. Her cheeks grew warm but she didn't bother hiding the smile that broke out across her face. "I'll let you _lovely ladies_ catch up. Any requests for dinner?"

"Pork!" they said together before laughing.

He laughed before grabbing his keys off the counter. "Alright, pigs it is." Kai leaned down to give a quick kiss to Bonnie's cheek and she reeled back slightly, lips parting to say something but the look of contentment on his face stopped her. "I'll be back."

"Be careful," Bonnie said softly. She watched him nod before he grabbed his jacket and began heading to the door. When she heard it open, she turned in her chair slightly. "And stay out of trouble!" She heard him snicker before the door shut behind him.

When the sound of his Camaro pulling out of the driveway and heading down the street was heard, Lucy cleared her throat and gave Bonnie a knowing glance. She didn't know what to say, so she opted to lift up her tea cup and was in mid-sip when her cousin spoke again.

"He's a cute one, Bonnie."

Bonnie spit her tea out in a spray of herbal mist and she looked at Lucy incredulously. "Lucy!"

However, Lucy's expression was passive as she drank from the mug. The older witch gave a non-committal shrug before a gentle smile spread over her lips. "I like him. And I can tell that you do too. The boy's obviously crazy about you."

"It's more complicated than that."

"Is it really? Or are you making it that way?"

Bonnie was about to deny it, but then stopped herself. Was she making it more difficult? Is that how Kai was seeing it as well?

"Girl, if you don't take your own life by the horns and cut loose then who else is going to?" Lucy clicked her tongue against the back of her teeth. "Take it from your cousin who loves you, hm? Do what you want now on your own terms before you wind up regretting it later on in life."

"Lucy..."

"Just be happy, Bonnie. That's all I want for you."

Bonnie smiled weakly but the feeling in her chest felt stronger. She felt larger than life and she couldn't explain it. So instead of trying to piece it together, she just nodded. It was a simple request, after all. One that was completely on her own terms and benefiting her. No one else. Just her.

"That's all I want too."

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _And now we've reached an interesting point in the story. I always thought it was shameful that Lucy had an off-screen death so I wanted to bring her more to the forefront than before. But for good reason. No worries. We are about to reach a certain point that I have been teasing for a while now: the first big time jump. We still have a few more chapters to go before we get there, but when we do, I promise you'll know. Again, thanks for all the lovely reviews and constructive criticism. You guys have been amazing and helpful and I adore all of you! Please continue to read, review and I'm looking forward to seeing you all in the next chapter!_


	21. Shake The World

**_AN:_** _I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. We are going to stick around in the past a bit more before we get Kai and his family in the present back to Mystic Falls. I'm pretty sure you all would agree that that is a bit of a turning point in the story and something I want to juxtapose matching the turning point in the past. Also, please don't hate me too much. Just know that I love you._

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett Home ~_

After combing over texts for two and a half days (as well as a much-needed catch-up day for the Bennett witches), Kai could confidently say that they had enough power between the three of them to destroy the 1903 Ascendant (talismans and other magical items from the Bennett side of the equation included). He began setting up candles in the appropriate manner throughout the living room. They would need the entirety of the space in order to pull the spell off properly. Lucy stood in the middle of the living room, drawing magical circles and runes while Bonnie was out back gathering all of the herbs in the garden that would benefit in augmenting the spell. The more aid they had, the better chances of success they would have.

It was interesting studying with a witch who was technically the same age as him but still had more real-world experience. Lucy had done an excellent job of keeping as far off the grid as she could manage while maintaining a sense of normalcy to her life. And with constantly moving all over, she was able to travel and make connections where she could with other covens and covenless witches alike. Despite always being on the move, Lucy Bennett created a decent foothold for herself and extended those same benefits to Bonnie should she ever have need of them. The same had been offered to Kai - her way of thanking him for saving her life. Kai certainly wasn't about to turn down an offer like that.

While there was a part of him that felt obligated to keep the magical device from being destroyed because he was, in fact, the Gemini leader, he knew that it was better off being completely eradicated from this world. He had never been a fan of prison worlds in general. Not even when he'd first read about them in the Archives when he was younger. But he could understand the purpose behind them. Witches ordinarily weren't super-powered killing machines. Their magic was supposed to be used to protect and heal the world around them. Putting supernatural criminals and liabilities away, in general, was just part of the territory. A way to maintain order in their world and to keep humanity safe.

Somewhere along the way, The Gemini had lost touch with this form of ideology. The Bennett witches clearly had not.

Yet Kai wasn't envious. Not completely anyway. Because this same mentality is what nearly wiped the Bennett witches out. They had been willing to martyr themselves, believing that they were helping at the cost of their own existence. While Kai may have never understood that sort of thinking until he nearly died trying to save Bonnie, it still didn't mean that he was inclined to that way of thinking. He didn't believe he ever would. Self-preservation had become the core trait of his entire personality and while he may have been more likely to have a few selfless moments here and there, that didn't mean he extended that courtesy to others. In fact, if he could recall, Bonnie was the only person he actually helped without any real benefit to himself.

In a way, the thought actually freaked him out.

As he placed the last of the candles along the mantle of the fireplace, Kai caught Lucy looking up at him from the floor out the corner of his eye. His fingers lingered on the stone mantle for a moment longer before he smiled while turning to rest his back along the stone. "Finished already?" He eyed all the markings on the floor, as well as the strategically placed circles of salt.

"This isn't the first magical device I've had to destroy," she said while standing. Lucy cradled the Ascendant between her hands, eyeing it with a curious glance before looking back at Kai. "But I will say this is one of the most powerful I've come across. The craftsmanship is top notch as well, considering that it was made in the early 1900s."

She handed it to him and Kai tossed it up and down in one hand, shrugging one shoulder. "You should have seen the one from 1994."

"That's the one that my great aunt helped to make, right?"

Kai nodded a little, his smile falling slightly as his fingers curled around the Ascendant. His gaze lingered on Lucy for a bit, the two sharing a companionable silence. After a while, he huffed a soft laugh and shook his head some. "You know, you look like her. Well, a younger version of her from then anyway."

Lucy smiled, something he hadn't expected. Bonnie had been more suspicious than delighted after discovering that he had close ties with her family. Or, rather, her grandmother. It was nice to know not all Bennett witches expected the worse in everyone they met. Then again, that was probably just Bonnie's jaded nature coming to light. He didn't blame her for being so suspicious, but he had to admit that it got a little tiresome trying to convince her that everything pouring out of his mouth wasn't an outright lie.

"Bonnie filled me in a little about why you were imprisoned in the first place," she said, bringing him out of his thoughts. His brows furrowed slightly and she shook her head while holding a hand up to dismiss whatever negative thing was about to plague his thoughts. "I've traveled enough and been caught up in plenty of vampire drama of my own to know that everyone has a reason for doing something. It may not be good reasons, but they all have reasons just the same."

She crossed the room and leaned against the wall by the window that faced the backyard. Kai followed suit, standing opposite her and watching as Bonnie continued to move through the herb garden - meticulously picking and choosing the right plants for the ritual. He caught Lucy smiling and he felt himself smiling in the same fashion, wondering if this was what it felt like to have family care about you even without being in their lives. He had grown up with his siblings and had been especially close with Jo. But when his father separated him from the others, the isolation had been too real.

Yet here was Lucy, barely in Bonnie's life, and willing to drop everything to come to her aid without a second thought. Because she was family. Because they loved each other unconditionally.

Now that? That was something Kai _was_ envious of.

"I know you said you're not a patient person, but would you mind being that way with my cousin?"

Kai blinked, looking at Lucy. She, however, was still looking out the window at Bonnie. "What?" The request threw him off just a bit.

This time she did turn and look at him, her almond brown eyes softening as an almost sad smile ghosted across her features. "She's had a rough time. More than what any young woman should have to deal with. And as much as I would like to continue staying with her, it's safer for us both if we're apart."

"But why?" he asked, frowning. "Why do you think Bonnie would be safer without you in her life? What sense does that even make?"

Lucy's smile fell a fraction, as if she were trying to gauge his reaction and he liked that even less. She was supposed to be family so didn't that mean that Lucy needed to be more inclined to staying at her younger cousin's side? If the Bennett's had remained close and not gotten so tangled up in the wicked webs of vampire drama, then there was a good chance they would still have been the most powerful coven in the world. To be reduced to just two young witches? It was unthinkable. It was unfair.

And it pissed Kai right the fuck off.

"She lacks experience and she keeps getting wrapped up in all kinds of unnecessary shit in this town," he said, trying to tamp down his anger. "If anything, you should be dragging her out of this place kicking and screaming. Let her experience the things that you have, don't you think?"

Her smile returned, realizing that Kai's anger wasn't aimed at her. Not that he had a reason for it to be, but there was at least a smidgen of relief knowing she wasn't taking his words the wrong way. Though he was, in a way, irritated with her at having even suggested such a thing.

"Don't you know her by now? You seem like you do." Lucy shook her head as Kai lofted a brow in question at her. "Bonnie isn't going to leave just because I insist on it. She has to _want_ to leave and right now, she doesn't feel like she has to. She still feels like she has a purpose here."

Kai rolled his eyes and scoffed, his gaze moving back to peer out the window. It looked like Bonnie was finishing up in the herb garden. "Like throwing herself headlong into the fire?"

Lucy shook her head and laughed softly, arms resting at her side. She caught Bonnie's gaze and waved back to her cousin. Kai took the opportunity to move himself away from the window. Lucy did the same. "She likes you, you know?" Kai laughed outright, eyes wide with amusement as he turned to glance over his shoulder at Lucy and she shrugged. "It's true. And because she likes you, she's more likely to listen to you. As her family, she'll only view anything I say as nagging. It's how all families are."

"Not all of them." He sighed while brushing some of his fingers through his hair. "I wish my family nagged me like what you're implying."

Kai felt Lucy's hand on his shoulder and he cast a sidelong glance at first her hand, then her face. Again, the smile was ever-present and he couldn't help but smile back in return. "Just trust me when I tell you that she holds you at a higher value than what you initially might believe."

The back door swung open and the sound of rushed feet reached his ears. Soon, Bonnie came around the corner and entered the living room area with a basket full of herbs clutched to her chest. A wide smile was plastered on her features and it had Kai halting in his steps for a moment. He hadn't seen Bonnie smiling that freely in a while, if ever. Normally she was so guarded with her expressions, especially since he'd come into her life. While he had been whittling down her metaphorical walls little by little, he knew that there was still a lot more he needed to climb and hurtle over in order to reach the true depths of her heart.

The part of Bonnie that he knew was capable of an absolutely magnanimous kind of love.

"Hey," she said, causing Kai to come back from his thoughts only to blink in surprise at how close she was to him. His brows raised and Bonnie's own scrunched up in response. "Everything okay?"

"Huh?" Kai blinked a few more times before grinning and nodding. "Hey, yeah. Everything's fine."

"Then why were you spacing out just now?"

"No reason," he said with a shrug. "Just thinking about how pretty you are. Especially when you smile."

"Oh my God," she groaned while shoving the basket of herbs into his chest roughly. He grunted and then laughed while watching her storm off into the kitchen. "Be useful and sort those out."

Kai pouted. "Hey, I've been very useful thank you very much!"

Bonnie poked her head around the corner and gave him a very sarcastic smile. "Yes, you've been oh-so-helpful, Kai. How can I ever begin to repay you for all of your wonderful kindnesses?"

"Well, you can start by grabbing me a bottle of water from the fridge." He smiled to her just as cheekily. "And maybe a snack? A bag of chips is fine."

Her smile instantly fell into an annoyed frown. "I hate you," she said, eliciting a small bout of giggles from Kai as she pointed at him. "Sort those herbs, you ass."

"Yes ma'am," he replied while giving her a two-fingered salute. After she disappeared back into the kitchen, Kai looked to Lucy who was clearly amused with their antics. "Are you sure she likes me? I think you're off a bit in your observations."

"No, I think I'm pretty accurate," Lucy said as she sat at the table across from him. "If she didn't like you, she wouldn't let you stay in her Grams' house and she _definitely_ wouldn't be this animated like she is with you."

Kai wasn't so sure he'd bank on that, but it brought him some relief anyway. Estranged or not, this was Bonnie's family and the Bennett's seemed like they had a closer bond than any of the Gemini could ever hope to hold a candle to. And that was saying something, considering that the Gemini had to go through a merge ritual in order to enhance their powers and determine who was going to lead their coven.

The two of them began pulling out different sprigs of herbs from the basket, separating all the ones that they knew would help amplify their magic that would be needed to complete the destruction of the Ascendant. While Kai wasn't as well versed in natural magic, he had to admit that Sheila kept an impressive garden. Even more so that Bonnie had been able to maintain it. A part of him wondered how any of these plants had survived during her stint in the prison worlds, but this was Sheila Bennett. If anything, she probably had cast some kind of ward over her garden to make sure that nothing died from lack of attention and care to her garden. In fact, it wouldn't have surprised him at all if she'd put a spell in place to only have the plants wither and die when Bonnie had decided to officially leave Mystic Falls behind.

He would have to convince her to take some of these seedlings and bulbs with her, where ever it was she decided to go.

Bonnie came back into the living room just as they finished, a tray balanced in her hands and she brought it over to the table and set it down between them - making a conscious effort not to ruin the work they had completed. She set out three bottles of water, a bag of chips for Kai and a bowl of pretzels for what he could only assume was for Lucy and herself. Grinning mischievously, he snagged a pretzel out of the bowl and made an "Ow" noise when Bonnie pinched his shoulder in retaliation as he nibbled on the snack. It didn't take him long to crack open the bag of chips and he stuffed a handful into his mouth before wiping the excess grease off on the offered paper towel.

They all chatted among themselves, mostly about idle things that ultimately wouldn't matter at the end of the day. It was slightly comforting, as odd as that actually came across in Kai's mind. There was a point in his life when, once upon a time, he would have rather slammed his head through a cinder block than partake in something so mindless as "idle chit-chat" but he didn't mind it so much anymore. Because talking about nothing was better than the endless streams of silence he had forced himself to become accustomed to when he had been locked away in his prison world. Something as simple as "white noise" had been a thing he had taken for granted.

He thought about when he'd told Bonnie about treating all of his siblings constant yammering as "white noise" and that it had, indeed, helped him how to focus. But now, years later, when he thought about what their lives would have been like had he not so viciously ripped them from the world, he couldn't help but wonder what things would have been like for them. Would their relationship be better? Would it be worse? Would it have been the same? Kai didn't think he'd ever get the horrified looks out of his mind - branded there forever; a sin he wouldn't be able to erase.

Yes, he knew that now.

After they finished up, Kai took the tray and all the trash back to the kitchen and let the two Bennett witches set themselves up at the outer rim of the circle while placing all of the herbs at the necessary points of the circle. When he came back, he saw the empty circle where he was supposed to sit but waited for them to take a seat first. Once seated, he crossed his legs Indian style and placed his palms on his knees. Bonnie and Lucy did the same.

"Ready ladies?" They both nodded and Kai closed his eyes, took another deep breath, and then reached out with his magic. He felt Lucy's aura brushing up against his and then Bonnie's followed suit. Their breathing was even, practically silent. In a single thought of silent incantation, all of the candles in the room lit.

 _"Phasmatos De Strutos Avox Addellum."_

They spoke the incantation together, their voices completely synchronized. Kai could feel their magic being amplified by the different herbs around the circle - as if nature were channeling itself back into them. It was a strange feeling, something that he didn't really think he could get used to. His magic had always been cold or unforgivably hot - nothing warm, comforting, or even soothing. Even his own curative spells came across as basic and remorseless. But he remembered what it was like to be hit by a spell thrown by a Bennett witch. It was new, exciting and something he couldn't describe. Siphoning from Bonnie had reminded him of the times he'd siphoned from Sheila when she was teaching him magic, but Kai had been too hell-bent on proving he was capable of going through with his threats against Bonnie and Damon back then to really put two and two together.

A smile touched the corners of his lips as he continued chanting with Lucy and Bonnie. He should have seen the signs back then. Blame it on isolation, madness, and desperation. Those were the only excuses he could give. Both to himself and to Bonnie.

The magic continued to swell, encompassing the entire room before it finally hit the walls and then seeped up and over their heads. Finally, their power came crashing back down onto the Ascendant situated in the center of the circle, surrounded by salt and herbs. The circle burned a bright white and then flames erupted around the salt. Instead of the standard red and orange flames, the color was white and blue. He caught the look of wonder in Bonnie's eyes as she continued to chant, focusing her power forward as did Kai and Lucy. The 1903 Ascendant glowed a rich cobalt, the flames licking over the surface and growing more and more intense by the second.

Kai could feel the Gemini device attempting to fight back. The cogs were turning inside, the magic imbued inside attempting to maintain itself against the three witches. But even the magic inside of the Ascendant knew that this would be the end. There would be no coming back from this form of destruction. It had served its purpose and its existence was no longer necessary.

A metal cog snapped against its bindings, followed swiftly by another and then another. The fire coated over the Ascendant and Kai could sense Bonnie pushing her magic harder against it. Desperation maybe? Kai didn't want to risk breaking the flow of the spell in an attempt to push Bonnie's magic back some. She was going to burn herself out but the look of excitement on her face was hard to ignore.

It was like he'd guessed and what he'd told Lucy before. Bonnie hadn't been able to experience the things that Lucy had; the things that he had. A community of witches - a network of magic users. The concept was so foreign to her that now, more than ever, Kai wanted to be the one to give her that experience. Something outside of his coven's dark traditions and more like what Lucy had been able to bask in for herself.

Saying the spell once more, the flames ripped through the Ascendant and a small pillar of blue and white fire engulfed the device whole. The light was so intense that Kai had to squint slightly from the brightness, as did the other two witches. When the fires finally dissipated, there was only a small pile of ash where the Ascendant and herbs had once been.

For a moment, all three of them remained silent. It was all they could do. Kai could sense that there was no more magic from the device - like someone had plucked it off the shelf and sent it to a different dimension. Nothing of the 1903 Ascendant's magic remained and unless he, himself, recreated it, there would be no going back there as well. The Heretics were trapped. Even if they could locate the Ascendant on their side, without the other piece - without the tether to their world, they would be stuck there.

And there was no Other Side for them to travel through either.

Bonnie reached out with one hand, her fingers sinking into the pile of ash. He figured it was because she was trying to reaffirm that there was, in fact, no more magic. But the Ascendant was incinerated. It was no more.

A relieved noise sputtered from Bonnie - a half laugh, half sobbing sound. "We did it," she said softly and a strange knot twisted inside of Kai's chest.

"Yeah," came his equally soft reply. "We did, Bonster."

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Mystic Falls Cemetery ~_

Words couldn't accurately describe the overwhelming feeling of relief that washed over Bonnie when she knew that the Ascendant was, in fact, gone for good. There was no way for the Heretics to cross over and, in that same token, there was no way for Lily to be able to utilize the Ascendant to get to the 1903 Prison World. No possible threat of witchpires to wreak havoc on her beloved hometown. It was one less vampire-related problem for her to have to deal with. For the citizens of Mystic Falls to have to deal with.

The Town Witch had done another good deed for her home.

Kai had excused himself shortly after, stating that he had a few phone calls he needed to make back to the coven in Portland. Something about documenting that the 1903 Ascendant was no more and that they needed to update their records. There was a 1994 Ascendant, destroyed shortly after Bonnie had returned to the present time. It made her wonder just how many other prison worlds there were. Surely there were more between 1903 and 1994. And who knew how many more had been made by Joshua Parker and his coven to put other "undesirables" away versus having to face "normal human consequences" when going up against the United States justice system.

Bonnie had decided to take Lucy to visit Sheila's grave upon her request.

Lucy knelt down in front of Sheila Bennett's grave, placing a bouquet of white lilies by the headstone. Bonnie remained standing, her hands clasped in front of her as she watched her cousin pay her respects. It was something that Lucy had always been meaning to do, but hadn't had much of an opportunity when she was there the last time because of the debt she owed to Katherine. She hadn't returned to Mystic Falls since then. The risk had been too great.

But now that she was here, after having spent a few days with her, Bonnie was already dreading the day that she would finally leave. Lucy had promised they would do better about staying in touch, but those promises would always be lost over the course of time. Distance caused people to drift apart. It was just the natural way of things and a proper response to situations such as those. But in her heart of hearts, Bonnie wanted to believe that everything would be okay; that her cousin would, in fact, keep in touch and regularly be a part of her life as much as she could manage without pulling herself back onto the grid.

She watched her cousin closing her eyes, presumably saying a silent prayer, before Lucy stood back on her feet and turned to face her. Bonnie smiled weakly to her cousin and Lucy noticed immediately. Reaching out with her hands, she pulled Bonnie into a fierce hug and laughed a little as the younger witch bit back a sob. It felt good to be embraced so warmly by family again.

"Hey, none of that," Lucy chided, pulling back a fraction so she could look down at her. "I'm not gone forever. We promised to keep in touch better from now on, didn't we?"

Bonnie nodded while brushing her cheeks to rid them of the tears that had swiftly fallen. "I know, Luce. I know. I just..." She paused, inhaling a shaky breath before she cleared her throat. "...I just get so anxious, you know? Every time things feel like they're going to be fine, like they're going to pan out, something always happens that screws it all up."

"You can't think like that, Bonnie. Don't you know that that kind of thinking is what ends up ruining us witches?" Bonnie's brows furrowed in confusion. "It's the same with our magic. We have to believe in it. We have to make _others_ believe in it, or else it's gone. Like a puff of smoke."

Lucy brushed her fingers through her hair as if she were trying to push and ward off any doubts and fears that she might have been harboring. It worked, but only to a degree. Bonnie wasn't naive enough to believe completely in good fortune and good karma. Not all the way. The other shoe was bound to drop. It always did.

"Besides," she said, slicing through Bonnie's thoughts. "You're not alone. I gave Kai my contact information, as well as how to readily access the networks I've set up."

"You did?" Not that that surprised Bonnie. Lucy was always good about paying off her debts. Perhaps giving Kai a way to access other witches and covens was her way of paying her back. "You didn't have to go out of your way, you know..."

Lucy smirked, shaking her head some. "It wasn't going out of my way. He's the leader of the Gemini Coven. Our paths would have crossed eventually. After all, it's not what you know but _who_ you know." The older witch tapped the side of her temple. "Did you really think I was going to pass up the opportunity to get my hooks into an actual coven leader?"

Bonnie laughed out loud, rolling her eyes and gently shoving her cousin. "Are you serious right now?"

"What?" said Lucy, an edge of mischief on the tail end of the question. "I work smarter, not harder, girl."

"Whatever," she laughed again, turning on her heels as Lucy did the same while heading toward the entrance of the cemetery.

When they walked past a few trees, Lucy's steps slowed and Bonnie eased up on her pace. Looking back at her cousin, she saw the pensive expression adorning her features. Just as she was about to ask what was wrong, Lucy's dark eyes lifted to meet her gaze. It halted Bonnie in her tracks completely and there was something a little unsettling in her expression despite the gentle smile that was now spreading across her face.

"Luce?"

"You should really give the guy a chance, Bonnie."

"Huh?" Bonnie let a hand rest on her hip. "What do you mean?"

"Kai. You should give him a chance."

She sighed, brows knitting just over her eyes. Bonnie had been wanting to avoid this conversation for as long as possible. Lucy was intending to not make it easy for her. "I told you, I forgave him already. I'm already giving him another chance."

"You know what I'm talking about," she said, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Don't play dumb."

"Well, what are you implying?"

"I'm saying you should really give Kai the opportunity to just, you know, be a boyfriend for you. Or something close to it. Date, travel, make memories together." Lucy's smile soon fell into an almost sad grimace. "I don't like that your friends get to have their own little happy romances and you're always left having to go stag to things all the time." She folded her arms across her chest. "Aren't you tired of third wheeling?"

Bonnie scoffed. "It's not like that."

"It's not like what?"

"Not between Kai and me _or_ my friends."

"I don't believe it." Lucy tilted her head to the side. "Are you telling me you're perfectly content running around with these vampires? That now that you have a witch at your side, someone who can finally understand you and what you're going through and is, let's not water it down here, nuts about you, you're just going to sweep it all under the rug like it's not a possibility? Like it's not already happening? Like you don't _want it_ to happen?"

Frustration overtook Bonnie and she roughly scratched at the back of her head. "It's more complicated than all that."

This time Lucy scoffed. " _No_ ," she stressed through gritted teeth. "You're only _choosing_ to make it more complicated. Can't you see how crazy that boy is for you?"

"Crazy is putting it mildly."

"I'm serious."

"And so am I!" snapped Bonnie, the fun atmosphere that they had just been sharing starting to disappear. "Don't you think I want all the things that you're talking about? That I want someone in my life who can _finally understand_ _me_ and everything that I've ever went through? That I want to be able to walk side-by-side with someone who doesn't just treat me like a magical fix-it-all? Who actually sees me as a person, for me, and not just for what I can do for them?!"

"Then what's stopping you, Bonnie?"

Lucy's question was so blatant and to the point that Bonnie didn't know how to respond. Not right away. It was so sudden that she had to take a moment and really process just why she was fighting so hard against what her cousin was even suggesting. Her and Kai were just now becoming friends. Sure, they may have slept together a few times now, but did that mean that she wanted to cross that border that entailed opening up her heart? It was already proving a task in and of itself just to admit that she considered him a friend.

"Kai and I are just friends."

What they had? It was on the cusp of friends-with-benefits, if not already there. But that didn't mean she wanted to start putting labels on what they had. Because labels meant something. Labels made things _real_. And "real"? Well, that was something Bonnie wasn't a hundred percent sure she was ready to jump into. Kai had said that this snail's pace was for the dogs, but it was a pace that she was comfortable with. Something she could try to dissect and understand and really wrap her head around. Kai was dangerous enough by himself.

"That friendship is complicated enough without throwing more things into the mix of it."

And who even said that Kai wanted that for them either? He hadn't broached the topic at all about wanting to cross certain boundaries with her. He'd gone out of his way numerous times to state that they were friends. Nothing more. Nothing less. He hadn't reached for more beyond that and it was something Bonnie wasn't about to try and figure out because that meant worming around in his head. Especially since he seemed to be dealing with his own inner demons lately.

"And I just don't think I'm ready to take that step. Not with him. Not with anyone."

Bonnie looked down at the ground, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. Was that really what she meant? Did she really believe she wasn't ready? Or was it because she was afraid of what the answer would actually be if Kai and she actually did take that step together?

After Jeremy had so thoroughly broken her heart, Bonnie didn't know if she could willingly open herself up to that kind of attack again. And while she couldn't deny that she and Kai had begun bridging that seemingly endless gap that was between them, that didn't mean that she was just going to fully entrust her heart to him - regardless of the promises and confessions and declarations he'd made to her in the midst of their turbulent, magical love-making.

It was one thing to fool around as friends. To even claim to be friends to her other inner circle. But when feelings got thrown into the mix? When the idea of an _actual_ relationship with Kai Parker became a subject worth entertaining, it brought a mess of baggage with it. Her friends were a mild issue compared to his coven. Whether Kai actually took this sort of thing into account or not was up for debate. It wasn't rocket science for anyone to determine that he had impulsive tendencies and a terrifying temper when lines were crossed.

But he wasn't just some ordinary witch. He was a Gemini and the current coven leader. Add the obligations that came with the title? It would deter any girl away. The gathering that she'd been invited to in Portland was probably just the tip of the iceberg. All the rules, regulations, and traditions that came with tangling up with the Gemini when she'd been a solo witch for so long? Bonnie wasn't sure she wanted to give up those freedoms that came with living her life as she did currently. She didn't know if she was even willing to compromise on those said freedoms.

Because they would always look at her as an outsider anyway, wouldn't they?

She felt Lucy's hand on her shoulder and she looked up, meeting the older witch's affectionate gaze. Bonnie felt an ache forming in her chest that was starting to actually hurt. She reached up, clutching at the pendant that hung from her neck - a single silver triangle with a golden circle in the middle. Fingers curled around the item and while it brought her mind some semblance of comfort, it did nothing for the heavy pounding of her heart as it only thudded harder along her sternum.

"I know it's hard for you to trust. Believe me, I understand. I spent a good bit of my adult life constantly on the move. It's even more difficult to make yourself vulnerable enough to let someone in, knowing they could wreck you from the inside out." Bonnie's eyes widened, her lips parting slightly to speak but found that she couldn't find the words to respond. "But that is also part of what it means to be an adult. To live. To be _alive_. It's part of what makes life worth living, having those experiences and those different levels of fears, doubts and heartaches. You'll even feel inadequate from time to time, like what you have won't be good enough for the person whose life you want to be a part of."

"Haven't I been through enough already?" Bonnie asked, aggravation and confusion laced in her tone. "I'm tired of dealing with all this shit in my life. I'm just tired of it! Why can't things just be easy?"

Lucy's expression changed to one of understanding and, dare she imagine it, remorse. But for what, Bonnie couldn't be sure. All she knew was that it calmed the spark of rage that was threatening to flare up inside of her.

"Because that's part of growing up, Cousin. You have to take the good with the bad. Always." Lucy tucked a few stray bits of hair behind Bonnie's ear. "Because if someone thinks you're worth it, they're going to take the good and the bad that exists within you."

"Yeah, well I don't know what that even feels like. I don't think I ever will."

"Yes, you do. And you will. How many times have you risked your life for the ones you love? How many times have you sacrificed your own happiness for them? How many times have you died to make sure that they could live?" The older witch narrowed her eyes. "How long are you going to keep living that way?"

"Luce..."

"How often was that reciprocated to you, Bonnie? How many times did anyone else ever risk their own life to make sure that you were happy or safe? Willing to throw away their own happiness so you could achieve yours?" Her cousin shook her head again, an almost pained look shadowing her eyes. Bonnie averted her gaze. "Someone out there is willing to help you see your own value. Come hell or high water, they'll stick by you no matter what." Bonnie felt her shoulders being shaken slightly, forcing her to meet her cousin's eyes. "They will put you first."

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Salvatore Boarding House ~_

There were certain places in the world that Kai was getting really tired of seeing day in and day out. The 1994 Prison World had done a fine job of ruining most things for him, including architecture. He'd spent the better part of several years holed up in the Salvatore Boarding House that, frankly, he could have torched the place just like he'd torched his childhood home back in Portland. It was just a building and it wasn't like there was any real sentimental attachment to the place.

It would have been in poor taste, however, to burn the place down after Bonnie had so thoroughly ripped through the house like a hurricane and given the Salvatore family a little lesson in manners. Kai wasn't there to clean house. He was there to check in on the brothers and to relay the wonderful news that the Ascendant was no more. Nothing more, nothing less. Perhaps if the message was given, loud and clear, that it would clue in the vampire family to leave Bonnie alone. To completely give up on trying to break through Bonnie's defenses and weed their way in to get what they want.

Kai was just sick of vampires pushing witches around. He'd had enough and he was barely on the receiving end of those "persuasive" suggestions. Who knew just how often Bonnie had been subjected to it? To be honest, he probably didn't want or _need_ to know either. It would just set him off and that wasn't really the purpose of this little visit. Not really.

As he walked up to the door, Kai immediately noticed that the hinges were newly replaced. His mischievous grin widened before he knocked loudly on the surface of the door. After a few seconds, said door flung open in a rush of frustration and he was greeted by an irritated Damon. Kai's grin spread further before he wiggled his fingers at him in an annoying gesture of "hello".

"Why the hell are you here?"

Kai rocked back on his heels, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he sucked on his lips for a moment before shrugging one shoulder. "Just came to check on my _favorite_ vampire siblings." He leaned forward, cocking his head to the side impishly. "Bonnie didn't rough you guys up too badly, did she?"

Damon's eyes narrowed sharply and Kai took note of the vein at his neck starting to bulge slightly. His grin fell only a slight measure as he lofted a brow curiously. However, he chose to remain silent for now. No need to poke the bear this early in the conversation.

"I won't ask you again."

He scoffed, rolling his eyes before he stood up straight and waved his hand back and forth in front of his face. "So dramatic," he teased, letting his body fall leisurely against the door frame. "Anyway, I just came to deliver a message is all."

This time it was Damon who raised his brow, trying to read Kai for any tricks that he had been known to play in the past. "What message?"

"Oh, nothing too terribly serious." Kai paused, folding his arms across his chest. "Just that Mommy Salvatore should give up on trying to retrieve the Ascendant from Bonnie and that her plans to bring those Heretics back here have been completely ruined."

Damon took a step forward but Kai kept his place against the door frame. "What are you talking about?"

He shrugged both of his shoulders this time but said nothing. This clearly didn't sit well with Damon and it took everything in Kai to not descend into a fit of triumphant laughter when the vampire grabbed at the lapels of his jacket and yanked him forward in a threatening manner. Blue eyes crashed into even paler blues - one pair sparking with danger while the other glittered with amusement.

It really was too much fun getting under Damon's skin like this.

"What did you do, Kai?!"

"Me?" Kai feigned innocence, his eyes glancing upwards but not looking at anything in particular. " _I_ didn't do anything." He paused, his eyes shifting to glance back toward Damon. "Well, not alone anyway."

Damon clearly wasn't having fun with this little game Kai was playing. A shame, really. He really needed to learn to loosen up. But what could he expect from some crotchety old vampire, honestly?

His smile dropped to a frown when he felt Damon jerking his lapels again. Why did it always have to start with violence with him? Kai never really understood it. First, it was the threats, then the unleashing of actual assault. A person could usually catch more flies with honey than with vinegar and Damon didn't seem to be grasping this concept.

And to think that after all the fights Damon had with Bonnie, she still kept coming back each and every time. Not once did Damon ever go _looking_ for her. And that turned Kai's stomach in a momentary spark of anger.

" _Kai_ ," growled Damon. Kai's eyes narrowed in response. "What the hell have you done? What mess have you dragged Bonnie into?"

He half laughed and half scoffed in response, jerking his arms up so that he could knock Damon's hands away. Taking a moment to flatten his palms along the front of his jacket, he folded his arms across his chest while tilting his head to the side thoughtfully. "I haven't dragged Bonnie into anything. She's been wanting to get the Ascendant as far away from you and your Ripper mother since she got back here. Now she doesn't have to."

A look of suspicion crossed Damon's face as he took a step back. "And why's that?"

"Because she destroyed it." His grin returned when he saw the look of shock glitter in Damon's eyes. "Well, _we_ destroyed it. Bonnie, her cousin, and I. You know Lucy, right? You asked her to come down here to help Bonnie? Nice witch," he said offhandedly. "Apparently you asked her to send some of her blood to you once before, back when you were trying to get to the 1994 prison world. That was sweet of you."

This time, Damon slammed his forearm against Kai's chest and shoved him back against the door frame. The action took Kai by surprise, but only for a moment. His eyes narrowed further at him and, again, he grabbed Damon's arms and shoved them off of him while pushing him back simultaneously. Why did vampires always insist on resorting to violence each and every time they never got their way? It really was just wasted effort.

There was a moment where Damon had to stand there and take in what was actually happening. Like he was mulling over what Kai was saying - trying to discern the truth from the lies. While the Gemini witch had been known to lie in the past and for his own benefit, he was attempting to turn over a new leaf.

"You...you destroyed the Ascendant?" He watched the vampire's lips purse together as he turned away from him, arms folding across his chest as his brows cinched over his eyes. "...damn."

Kai could see the wheels turning in Damon's head and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Was he trying to come up with another scheme? Like a plan B since plan A clearly didn't seem like it was going to pan out? That's what Kai would have done in this scenario, especially if he knew he'd lost control of the situation. The fact that Damon, the guy who he'd witnessed time and again lose his cool, was only showcasing his annoyance and not impulsive rage was a little off-putting. Especially since he'd done just that not even five minutes ago.

He shoved one hand into the pocket of his jacket, the other running his fingers along the new hair growing along his chin. "I expected a completely different reaction." Damon cut his eyes to Kai and he scoffed. "Yeah, something like that."

"You just put Bonnie and her cousin into serious danger now," he responded, his tone deadly serious and this unsettled Kai.

"What do you mean?"

"Bonnie at least had some leverage. If my mother finds out that the Ascendant is destroyed, what's to stop her from going on a rampage?"

Kai blinked. "You would just... _let_ your ripper mother go on a murder spree?"

"Of course not!" Damon bit his thumbnail, his body trembling with anger. "But outside of killing her, there won't be much that either Stefan or I will be able to do to stop her once she finds out."

"Then kill her."

The vampire rounded on Kai but he didn't even flinch. "Excuse me?"

Kai stood to his full height, looking Damon straight in the eye. "You heard me. Kill her." He grinned. "The Gemini should have killed her back then anyway. Who lets a vampire murder a boat full of people and live? That's where my coven fucked up. They should have blown her goddamn head off."

"That's rich coming from the psycho who murdered his own family," snapped Damon, his eyes narrowing harshly.

His smirk widened. "First off, it's called being a sociopath. And I killed four people. My siblings. But the number still pales in comparison to the crimes of your mother who murdered over three thousand." Kai leaned forward a bit, stepping into Damon's personal space. "And secondly? I've changed. You know, that thing that you and Stefan are capable of. I realized my mistakes and I've apologized to those that I could. I don't owe you anything."

"And Bonnie? What about her? You've already made your amends haven't you?" Damon lifted his chin up defiantly. "So why are you still circling around her like some sick, hungry vulture, huh?"

"That's low, Damon, even for you."

"Tell me why you're still here!"

Kai's eyes narrowed. "I don't see how that's any of your business. Where I am and what I decide to do with my time has nothing to do with you."

"I'm warning you, Kai," growled Damon. "You better leave this town while I still have just a little bit more patience with you. I don't know what you did to warp Bonnie's mind into believing that she could call you a friend, but I know you've only ever cared about yourself. Nobody else."

"Sounds familiar doesn't it?" Kai smirked and he saw the vampire's frown deepen. "You aren't the only bad guy in the world who gets to turn over a new leaf, Damon. As for Bonnie? I never twisted her to believe anything. In fact, you just made my day that much better by telling me that." He pivoted on his heels and started to walk away. He paused after a few steps, glancing over his shoulder at Damon - his smirk ever-present but lacking the malice that it had earlier. "I think I might just be able to forgive you for not telling her what I did for her on her birthday while you guys sat around and twiddled your thumbs until I showed up."

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Kai made his way across the yard and began whistling in satisfaction. He didn't think anything could really ruin this day. Because the one thing he had been on pins and needles about had just been alleviated by the one person he never thought would help. Whether he realized it or not. Bonnie had told Damon that Kai was her friend herself. No one had pressured her to do it. No one had pushed her or pulled it out of her. She'd said it of her own free will.

He wasn't the enemy anymore. He truly was forgiven.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett Home ~_

Lucy walked through Sheila Bennett's house, her fingers gently grazing along the walls and all the surfaces she could manage to touch. Committing it all to memory, a nostalgic smile crossed her features as the last few days replayed themselves from her mind. She didn't have many memories of the home from her childhood. She was never part of the Bennett family in that manner - her own familial ties removed from some sordid affair that happened in the past. But that didn't matter to Lucy. She was glad to be there, to be able to come and spend time with her dear cousin and to be able to give her a hand when she needed it.

A lingering feeling of guilt attempted to creep itself up her chest, but Lucy quickly squashed it down while shaking her head. She had promised Bonnie that they would do better about staying in touch. That this wouldn't be the last time that they would see each other. She was planning on keeping that promise and they had each other's numbers. There was no reason not to call and text or even video chat every once in a while. More than they had bothered to before.

Despite her love of travel, as well as the need for absolute guaranteed safety, Lucy had missed having an actual family. The fact that she and Bonnie were the last of the Bennett line was sad in its own right. They had to make sure they were able to stay alive long enough to keep their bloodline going. Because if they died out, then there was nothing left of their legacy. Everything had gotten lost over time. Be it from the common fear of man itself or for the simple fact that they'd gotten tangled up in the intricate webs of vampires ultimately didn't matter.

Surviving, however, did.

Doubling back into the guest bedroom, Lucy made sure that all of her things were packed away into her suitcase. Her eyes glanced at the clock that was situated on the vanity. After her talk with Bonnie, she told her cousin that she would leave her with her thoughts. The ritual they had all performed earlier that day had worn Lucy out. It had been some time since she had cast such a powerful spell, channeling enough magic to almost drain her out. Her flight was tomorrow morning, but she wanted to go ahead and get everything squared away first and squeeze a nap in to recharge her batteries.

She pulled out her phone, shooting Bonnie a quick text to let her know that she was going to load up her car and take a nap. Lucy was going to surprise both Kai and Bonnie with a nice, home-cooked meal for them to celebrate their success. Comfort food was always nice and welcoming after a hard day's work and they could all agree that today had been a bit taxing.

Seeing the picture that she and Bonnie had taken together, Lucy scrolled through several other shots. Lucy had taken several selfies with Kai and Bonnie together, and then some with just the Gemini Coven leader. That way, in case she did run across him in the future, people wouldn't question that she did, in fact, know the young coven leader. A few swipes later, Lucy felt her heart lurch slightly from elation. She had managed to sneak a few other pictures of Kai and Bonnie together; candid shots of them going over spells in Sheila's grimoires, washing and drying dishes in the kitchen, and the two of them fighting over the remote for the television as they fussed over what movie they were going to watch on Netflix that night. It took them nearly an hour to decide and Lucy had simply sat on one of the reclining chairs while waiting on them to finally pick something.

Lucy pulled up Kai's contact information and decided to send those photos to him with a little note attached.

 **Lucy: _I wish you two could see what others see when they look at you both. But hopefully, this is a bit of an eye-opener for you. Again, just be patient with her. I know my cousin will come around. Patience and persistence. We Bennett women are a stubborn lot._**

She sent the message and set the phone down on the dresser. Everything was packed and she had triple-checked the bathroom (leaving a small gift for Bonnie when she finally stumbled upon it) before heading to the kitchen to start on dinner prep before squeezing in a quick nap. Lucy just needed to load her suitcase into her rental so it would be one less thing she'd have to worry about in the morning.

Lifting up the suitcase, she made her way out of the house and closed it behind her. However, she only took a couple of steps out into the front yard when a lone figure stood there just at the edge of it. It was a middle-aged looking woman, appearing to be around her age, in fact, and she was dressed in a soft off-white sweater and dark denim jeans stuffed into a pair of brown, wedge-heel ankle boots. Her arms were folded across her chest, as though she had been waiting on someone to appear. Her austere expression melted into a smile that held no warmth behind it.

Lucy set the suitcase down by her side on the grass slowly, her almond eyes never leaving the woman. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

"I'm Lily Salvatore," she said. Lucy's brows furrowed. "I would say you've probably never heard of me, but it appears that you have."

"I know your son, Damon," the witch replied easily, folding her own arms against her chest. "And I heard about you plenty from my little cousin."

Lily's eyes narrowed. "I see," was all she offered before taking a step forward. "Then you'll know why I'm here." She held her hand out to Lucy, her fingers curling upward in a gesture of want. "Let's not waste each other's time. Just hand over the Ascendant and I'll be on my way." The vampire's brows raised slightly in remembrance. "Oh, and a little bit of your blood as well if you don't mind."

Lucy laughed while shaking her head, her eyes locking with Lily's as she gave her a condescending gaze. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Her arms fell at her side before she shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm afraid you're too late. The Ascendant's gone."

" _What?_ " The vampire's eyes narrowed - her icy glare not even phasing the Bennett witch. "What do you mean The Ascendant's gone?"

"We destroyed it." Lucy's smile widened. "Is that easier for you to understand?"

"You damned-"

"Uh uh," the witch interrupted, holding up a hand. "Don't even start. I don't know in what world you believed a witch was going to help you get those _Heretics_ out of that place, but you better do yourself a favor and wake up from that dream. I would strongly suggest you stay the hell away from my cousin after I'm gone." The smile fell from Lucy's lips as she brushed her fingers through her hair. "If you value the lives of your sons, that is."

There was a semi-long stretch of silence that passed between the two women. Neither of them let their gaze linger away from the other. There was a part of Lucy that hoped not to get into an altercation with the vampire. She didn't know what she was dealing with when it came to the Salvatore's mother and Lucy also knew she wasn't at full strength to be going into some long, drawn-out power fight either. She could hold her at bay for a little while, but too much and she'd use all of her magic on the vampire which was basically attempted suicide for a witch.

Finally, Lily chuckled - a dark and menacing sound that set Lucy's teeth on edge. However, she stood her ground and maintained her composure. She wasn't about to let this vampire know that she wasn't at full strength. Even if she nearly depleted her reserves, Lucy was going to make sure she put this woman down onto the ground where she belonged.

"You Bennett witches made a _grave_ mistake by destroying that Ascendant." Lily sighed, resting her hands along the flare of her hips. "Though I suppose there are other ways to get back to that place. In any case, I'll need Bennett blood to get there." The vampire craned her neck and Lucy dug her heels into the grass, her hands closing into fists at her sides. "And I don't really need either of you alive for that."

"I won't let you lay a finger on my cousin."

The woman's smirk grew a fraction, her eyes changing to crimson as spidery veins crept up to her lower lids. "You won't be able to stop me when you're the one who's dead."

Lily snarled, her fangs snapping downward as she zipped forward in a blur of speed. Lucy immediately slid back into a defensive stance, her hand zipping out as she punched Lily in the gut with her magic and sent her flying back onto the grass. She only stayed prone for so long before the witch saw her scrambling back up on her feet, lunging for another attack. Lucy thrust her hand toward the ground, an ear-splitting _crack_ following suit and she watched Lily crash to one knee. She was already preparing for another spell, ready to snap her neck when a flash of silver blinded her momentarily. Lucy lifted a hand up to shield herself from the reflection, blinking rapidly to get her eyes to adjust quickly.

Suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through her side and her hands immediately lowered toward her stomach. Fingers brushed up against something cold and metallic, her head tilting down to spy out the knife that was now protruding from her side. A crimson stain blossomed across her shirt and she looked up in time to see Lily rushing her. Lucy didn't have enough time to stop the vampire from closing the distance between them, which she did swiftly. A hand was clasped at her throat and Lucy felt her windpipe being squeezed tightly, her feet lifting off the ground. Both hands closed around Lily's wrist, her airways slowly sealing off from the pressure Lily had on her throat.

 _"Incendia."_

The spell was barely whispered but proved successful. Lily's shoulders suddenly caught fire and the vampire screamed, releasing her hold on Lucy and giving her enough time to catch her breath. A few ragged coughs was all Lucy could manage before she was charging forward with her body, one hand gripping onto the hilt of the knife in her stomach. She shoulder-slammed Lily in the chest, yelling out in both pain and anger as she felt the vampire's fangs fall against her shoulder and breaking the skin. However, instead of trying to fight Lily off, she used one hand to dig her fingers into the other woman's waist while her other hand ripped the knife from her gut.

Without wasting another second, Lucy plunged the knife into Lily's ribs - twisting her wrist so she could dig the blade further into the vampire's skin. Lily's cries of pain were muffled from the hold she still had on her mouth. When the knife could go no further was when Lily tore her fangs free, ripping off a chunk of Lucy's flesh right along with it. Both women stumbled backward and away from each other as blood dribbled from their mouths in unison: one from feeding and the other from internal bleeding.

Lucy could taste the metallic tang of her own blood as it flooded her mouth, causing the witch to sputter and cough. Her vision was starting to blur from the blood loss. Out the corner of her eye, she saw Lily jerking forward as she attempted to zip forward and close the gap between them once again. Shaking her head roughly, Lucy managed to get her line of sight to focus long enough to push her magic forward - aiming a spell straight at Lily and causing the vampire to freeze in place.

As though she'd hit an invisible wall, Lily tried to push her way through the makeshift barrier. Lucy coughed, a spray of red mist expelling from her mouth as more blood dribbled from her mouth and down her neck. Even though the pain Lucy was feeling was staggering, the witch only laughed as she took a few, slow steps forward. When she was within inches of Lily, she flashed her blood-stained teeth at the older woman. A weak, broken chuckle was all the Bennett woman could manage as her eyes bore into the red ones that belonged to Lily.

"You know," murmured Lucy as she pressed one hand to her side over her wound, attempting to slow down the bleeding. "I'm _really_ going to enjoy this."

With a strength that she didn't even know she possessed, Lucy snatched a handful of Lily's hair - knuckles turning white as she gripped at the scalp and even pulled several hairs from their roots. Lily screamed a high-pitched noise that probably would have shattered glass if she'd had any sort of magic coursing through her veins outside of her vampire powers. Lucy knew she only had one chance to get this right. Just one.

"I learned this when I was roaming around in Louisiana. I hope you like it."

Yanking on Lily's hair again, she openly relished in the vampire woman's pain and the murder that danced in her black and red eyes. The spidery veins wriggled with the promise of another feeding frenzy, but Lucy wasn't going to allow it. Not while there was still air in her lungs. Taking a breath, Lucy spat the blood that was in her mouth all across Lily's face - watching it spatter along the woman's pale skin like a sick, twisted work of art.

Focusing all the magic that was left in Lucy's body, even tapping into her very own life force, she channeled her power onto a singular point. Directly at Lily Salvatore's heart. The pounding of her heartbeat was like a drum in her brain, her blood roaring in her ears as she clamped her jaws tight and felt the muscle tick at the back of her mouth. There was a darkness coursing through her body, her magic melding with the energy that she was tapping into and creating something sinister inside of her.

And then she heard it. A wailing, screeching noise that sounded so muffled and quiet that it could have been mistaken for being underwater. But it wasn't. It was coming straight from Lily Salvatore's fanged mouth. Whether it was a banshee scream of agony, outrage, or both, Lucy couldn't tell.

Frankly, she didn't fucking care either.

The smirk on the witch's face spread out just a little bit further, her eyes narrowing to near slits.

 _"O se kwe pe se."_

Suddenly, her nerves screamed at her - alerting her of another injury. A new one recently made. Within seconds of her unleashing the spell. But as her eyes stayed locked on Lily, she quickly glanced down and saw that the vampire had not moved. However, as she looked down further, she saw a hand coated in blood sticking out of her gut. A slow, wheezing gasp of shock gurgled out from Lucy's throat as she turned her head to see who the offending limb belonged to.

It was Enzo.

"Sorry Love. Nothin' personal."

Lucy barely made any sound as Enzo ripped his hand out from her body. The binding spell she'd placed on Lily immediately dissipated, her grip on her hair loosening as she stumbled backward. The witch fell to the ground in a heap, but not before she was able to witness Enzo catching Lily in his arms. This time Lucy vomited up more blood, a horrible choking noise emanating from her chest as she glared up at the two vampires.

Slowly, Lucy pushed her upper body up off the ground as more blood wept from her injuries. Lily clung to Enzo, sputtering, ragged coughs all she could manage before she was able to take a few breaths. Her eyes burned with anger and Lucy simply laughed, albeit lacking the light humor that she had intended it to have.

"What did you do to me, witch?" snapped Lily, her shoulders trembling with the depth of her anger. This only caused Lucy to laugh again despite the pain she was in. "What did you curse me with?!"

"I guess you'll just have to wait and see, now won't you?" Lucy threw back, her vision blurring momentarily. "I hope you die screaming, you bitch."

"YOU!" Lily tried to lunge at Lucy but was stopped by Enzo. She growled and bared her fangs at him. "RELEASE ME!"

Enzo shook his head firmly, his decision final. Lucy merely continued to chuckle with satisfaction. "She's already a dead woman," he countered. "We have to go. _Now._ "

Screaming in outrage, Lily turned her furious gaze back to Lucy who flashed her another blood-stained smirk. "You're going to pay for this, witch. I'll take my time ripping your beloved cousin limb from limb!"

"You'll be dead before you can get the chance." Lucy could see the darkness creeping around her eyes. "That is... _if_ she doesn't kill you before my spell does."

Before Lily could utter another word, Enzo managed an almost remorseful glance to Lucy and then hefted the female vampire into his arms. Within seconds, the two of them had disappeared from the front yard. Only when Lucy believed that they were well and truly gone did she finally fall onto the grass. Her vision was fogging with each passing second, her breathing labored as the world grew dark all around her. The sky was free of clouds and the stars could be seen so clearly.

Her phone began ringing in her pocket, the subtle vibration lifting the haze from her eyes long enough for Lucy to fish into her jeans for it. She didn't bother looking at the screen to see who it was before answering. "...hello?"

 _"Lucy? Did I wake you? I'm heading back now. Kai decided we needed to pick up some champagne to celebrate properly...what do you want Kai?!"_

 _"Lemme talk to her! I need to know what brand she likes."_

 _"Oh my God, just pick something and go away!"_

 _"You are so mean. Do you hear how mean she is, Lucy? This woman doesn't understand how important it is to get the right kind of champagne."_

 _"Like you're the expert!"_

 _"I am, as a matter of fact."_

 _"I hate you."_

 _"It would help if she wasn't keeping what she was making for dinner a secret. Come on, Luce! Tell us what you're making!"_

 _"Gimme back the phone, you jackass!"_

 _"No! Lucy, you need to teach your cousin a thing or two about the finer things in life. She thinks bourbon is classy when it's actually garbage."_

 _"No, it's not! Gimme the phone!"_

 _"Anyway, we'll be there soon, so start getting dinner ready, okay? I'm starving! Oh, and thanks for those pics you sent earlier! Bye!"_

 _"Wait, what pictures?! KAI! ...ugh, he's the worst. Sorry if we woke you, Luce. We'll see you soon!"_

Lucy smiled weakly, her eyes focusing on the smattering of stars against the slowly darkening blanket of night along the sky. "Yeah...see you soon..."

The soft dial tone was all that remained of the call after it ended - three soft beeps following suit before it was completely silent.

 _I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise, Bonnie._

Lucy's arm fell at her side, her bloodied fingers curling around the phone as she continued to look at the beautiful sky littered with the stars she loved.

 _Don't hold it against me though._

With each passing second, the image was slowly encompassed in darkness until there was nothing for her to see.

 _But...I know...you'll be fine._

All that was left was the sound of her heartbeat until it, too, became a soft murmur in the night.

 _Goodbye._

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _I'm so deep in my feelings right now, I don't even know what to say. So I'm just going to say thank you, please forgive me, and please read and review and feel free to scream at me if you like. I got so much positive feedback from people regarding Lucy that I felt terrible for doing it. I did. I cried a little. But it just made so much sense and, frankly, I wanted to give her a proper adieu. It always made me so mad how they off-screen killed her so I wanted to make sure she had her moment in the limelight like she deserved. Lord, I'm not even sure how to pick up from this. But I'm going to find a way because I'm determined for Bonnie and Kai to team up again in the proper, badass witch fashion I know they're capable of. ...so yeah, I love you all. See you in the next chapter!_


	22. We Were Never Ready

**_AN:_** _So yeah… I hope you guys weren't too mad at me in the last chapter. But we are getting close to the end of the first arc. And yes, there is going to be a second arc. Possibly a third. So just bear with me guys. Also, I want to take the time out to thank my friend and beta reader, **Tomi** , for putting up with all my shenanigans during this process. She's been my sounding board since the beginning and I couldn't have gotten this far alone. And she's also helping me with this chapter because I've been on the struggle bus as of late. But yes, thank you and on to the story!_

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett Home ~_

Satisfaction.

It had been a long time since that word, that sensation, had been a constant in his life. Today was a _good_ day if he had to balance them against the plethora of shit days he's suffered. He let Damon's words slide into the back of his mind while he was with Bonnie. Damon wasn't stupid - that was a fact. Still, the words Damon _hadn't_ said? Bothered him.

He had stolen a glance at his phone while they were making their way back to the Bennett house. He couldn't help grinning again after rereading the text message that accompanied the photos (of which he _might_ share with Bonnie later when she wasn't being such a pill). Lucy had gotten some solid shots in and he'd have to thank her properly when he got the chance.

 **Lucy: _I wish you two could see what others see when they look at you both. But hopefully, this is a bit of an eye-opener for you. Again, just be patient with her. I know my cousin will come around. Patience and persistence. We Bennett women are a stubborn lot._**

He chewed on the corner of his mouth and stashed his phone away. The rest of the groceries were balanced between his fingers.

Kai's steps immediately halted when a visual he hadn't expected was suddenly slammed into his line of sight.

Blood was in the air. So was pain. So was death.

The silence in that yard was deafening. Maybe it was the thundering pace of his heart filling his ears. It was like something straight out of a horror film. The slow-motion drag of time as he stepped closer to Bonnie. His nostrils flared as his emotions, his vitals, and his mind went in opposite directions. Kai's mouth fell open as the faintest sound left him. He couldn't register anything but the lifeless body of Lucy Bennett sprawled out on the front lawn.

The groceries were all over the ground now.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Bonnie felt the plastic handles from the grocery bags slipping from her fingers. Though the noise they made was loud enough to probably wake the dead, she heard nothing. The only sound that was the most prominent in her mind was the sound of her heartbeat. It drummed loudly against her chest - making it difficult to breathe. Her lips parted slowly as her legs seemed to have a mind of their own - carrying her forward as the image began burning itself into her brain and she dared not even acknowledge that it was real.

There Lucy was, lying in the grass of her grandmother's front yard - bled out and seemingly unconscious. Bonnie reached out with her magic, attempting to caress her cousin's aura to determine what her status was. But there was a part of her that already feared the worst - had predicted it. Because not even several hours prior to them separating, she had conveyed her greatest fears to Lucy. Things seemed to be going so well. Something bad always happened.

It always did.

But then her cousin's words slammed into her like a wrecking ball, breaking through her walls as if they never existed.

 _"You can't think like that, Bonnie. Don't you know that that kind of thinking is what ends up ruining us witches?"_

Bonnie shook her head. Slowly at first, but then it grew more and more rapid the closer her legs carried her to Lucy's body. "No," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "This isn't real…" She turned around to look at Kai as he, too, began to inch closer toward the image in front of them. "Tell me that you don't see this. Tell me that I'm just going crazy right now or that you're playing some stupid joke on me. It's not funny if it is, but I'll let it go this one time if you just tell me that this isn't real."

When Kai was standing right next to her, Bonnie gripped onto the arm of his jacket with such ferocity that she probably would have torn it apart had she been any other supernatural being aside from a witch. She yanked and pulled, shaking him slowly before the gesture became more violent. His eyes fluttered as he turned his head to look down at her, acknowledging her silent demand for him to speak but infuriated that he was not supplying her with any words - the very thing Bonnie was seeking from him.

"Say something, Kai! Why aren't you saying anything!? Tell me that isn't really Lucy on the ground like that! That I'm just too shocked to feel her magic and that you two were in on this stupid joke!" Kai still said nothing. His only response was a furrow of his brows and this only made her angrier. "This is some sort of illusion spell, right? Right?!"

Pulling away from him in frustration, she ran what little distance remained between her and her cousin and collapsed to her knees beside her. It was reminiscent to when she'd seen Kai getting killed by Damon after they'd returned from the 1903 Prison World. After everything they'd been through, to see him getting ripped from life like that without warning? It had been too much for her.

But this time, instead of crying in outrage, Bonnie only laughed as her hands fell onto Lucy's shoulders. "Hey, Luce...nice prank," she managed to choke out before her eyes began to brim with tears. The smile still remained and she used her shoulder to quickly swipe at one side of her face as she continued to shake her cousin's body. "You and Kai can quit playing around now. You both got me good. I admit it. So let's go inside and start making dinner, okay? Kai wouldn't quit bitching about how hungry he was the entire drive back…"

Wide-eyed and with blurred vision, Bonnie continued to laugh weakly despite how violently her body was shaking. The more and more she shook her cousin, the more apparent it was that she wasn't, in fact, going to wake up. Her body was so cold and the color had long since vacated her face. The blood was dried around her shirt and mouth, but Lucy had a gentle smile etching her features. As though she were completely at peace within just moments of her passing.

"This can't be happening…" Bonnie's arms fell at her side as she looked over Lucy's entire body. "There's just...no way..."

She craned her neck slightly to look over the rest of the yard, her magic seeping out like invisible tendrils along the grass. There was residual magic lingering along the grounds. More blood was splattered across the greenery of the yard and it wasn't Lucy's. There was no way her cousin would have been taken out this easily. Not without a good fight on their hands and she knew Lucy would have given it to them.

Leaning forward, Bonnie peered at Lucy's face - her hands resting along either of her cheeks as a broken laugh spilled forth. Her tears finally fell, streaming down her face until she leaned down and wept openly over her cousin's body. The sobs that wracked her entire form caused her very bones to ache, but she couldn't stop herself until a soft wail began to form. It soon escalated into a full-on, soul shattering scream. The agony was so encompassing that every stitch of Mother Nature would feel her pain.

Because now she really was the _last_ of the Bennett line.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Kai looked at Lucy and he felt the air leave him _completely_. He turned to Bonnie again as his brow furrowed in her anguish. She had taken those few steps to drop down next to Lucy. He felt sick, a wave of nausea washed over him as Bonnie broke. He watched her descend the ladder of grief. He watched her despair as she cradled Lucy's face.

When she screamed utter despair into the sky? He couldn't feel a thing. The sound crawled along his skin as the world seemed to vibrate and tremble with her sadness. Even after it echoed into the forest beyond; the leaves on the trees shuddered as if they too wanted to fall like nature's tears.

 _Goddamn you, Damon. Goddamn you all._

He felt his blood run like ice shredding through his veins. It hurt. This hurt him in a way he couldn't have ever prepared for. There was no manual for this. There was no spell or grimoire or magic that could erase this kind of pain. The same kind of pain that Bonnie suffered all these years.

She suffered _here_ \- with _them_.

Not anymore. This would be the last time that Mystic Falls sucked another tear from Bonnie Bennett. He would spill blood and burn anything in the path of the happiness she so desperately deserved. He didn't realize he was walking toward her until his hands were on her shoulders. "Bon..."

His fingers were firm as he began to pull her away from her cousin's cold, lifeless body. He knew she would fight, she would scream, flail, and punch. That was fine - he wanted it. He would take it and absorb it like he said he would. Like he _promised_ he would.

"Bon, we need to put her at peace."

"Peace?!" she shrieked, her fists and legs flying in every direction that she could manage in her attempt to break free from him. "What peace is there for her now?!"

Bonnie didn't care that she was lashing out at Kai. He knew that. He also knew that she didn't care that he was on the receiving end of all of her emotions that were spiraling out of control. More than anything, her anger was falling into a tailspin that she had no desire to even get herself out of.

"TELL ME!"

But the look on Kai's face showed that he knew. Kai knew this anger. He knew it so well that it hurt to see the normally vibrant and animated Bonnie Bennett he'd come to get to know unravel into this state. He understood just what she was battling with. He'd descended into this same, horrible, agonizing madness after the Merge with Lucas.

Yet it was taking everything inside of him to maintain what control he had. Was this the unbridled anger that he had been bottling up inside of him for years when his father had him locked away? The need to kill everything and anything in his path? Had it all stemmed from neglect and abuse, truly? Because Bonnie now knew this rage. She knew this madness.

The difference? Apparently, she had only kept it at bay once and that was when her father had been murdered before her very eyes by Silas.

"Why does this keep happening to me?!"

Every question that screamed from the witch was followed with her punching at Kai's shoulders. As if he had the answers and he just wasn't telling her. She could barely breathe enough to scream and what screams did come out of her sounded hoarse and broken, just as rough and dry as he was sure her heart was starting to become.

"Bon." She flailed, struggled and screamed against his hold on her. The constant question that came out of her mouth. The pain in his inability to respond. The rage growing and growing inside of her. He could feel it all. "Bon, you gotta calm down."

"WHY?!"

Another smack to his chest. He felt his own bones rattling with the impact of her fists. His gaze was over her head as she struggled against him. Peace. What was he thinking? How could he have said peace? It just slipped and Bonnie was right. What peace was there for Lucy Bennett now?

"WHY?!"

A slam of her fists onto his shoulders. Kai couldn't feel anything but the rising rage bubbling over in the petite Bennett Witch. "Bonnie, plea-"

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"WHYYYYYYYYY?!"

And then something snapped inside of Bonnie. It was like a twig had been broken in her chest and she grew completely rigid in Kai's arms. Her fingers were curled into the fabric of his jacket as the wind picked up around them. Her hair lifted off her neck and billowed around her cheeks - the few strands that clung to her wet skin pulled free and floated in the air amidst the swirl of power.

Just a second later, her head snapped up to the evening sky and she let out another blood-curdling scream - a pulse of magic exploding around her and Kai both. The grass flattened and several tree branches snapped nearby. The pavement of the street cracked and splintered and the glass on both Kai's car and Lucy's rental shattered - the car horns sounding off in succession at the violent force that had pushed from her body.

The winds grew calm. All that remained of Bonnie's screams were echoes lost in the breeze. The sound of the car alarms were quickly muffled as the world grew dark. The last thing Bonnie saw was Kai's wide, gray-blue eyes gazing down at her.

Then everything was black.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Before he could convince her to breathe or to try and calm that bubble of magic spreading out from her? It exploded all around them. It took everything inside of him to keep on his feet. The pressure spread like pyroclastic flow from an exploding volcano. Glass shattered, tree trunks splintered, branches fell, and clouds of dirt pushed back into the world beyond the house. His wide-eyed stare lingered as she passed out.

"Bon?"

He bent his knees to scoop her into his arms as she lost consciousness. A grunt left him as he hefted her up and strode toward the house. He kicked the door in and immediately took the stairs up to her bedroom. Kai turned to lay her gently on the bed. There was a moment he lingered to see the gentle rise and fall of her chest. A finger slid against her tear-stained cheek before he left her, closing the door gently behind him.

That wave of nausea washed over him again and he hurried down the stairs. Moving like a man who didn't know his alcoholic tolerance, he stumbled out into the backyard. He was on hands and knees in the dirt as he left the last step. His fingers dug into the dirt as the sour taste rose in the back of his throat. Another grunt as he pushed upward, stumbling headlong toward the trees behind the house. His body straightened as he took off at a dead run.

Why did this keep happening to her? She didn't deserve this! Nobody deserved the life she had led. No one could survive this, but she had. She survived it for so long.

So why? Why couldn't anything _good_ come to her?

 _"You just put Bonnie and her cousin into serious danger now."_

That's why.

 _"Bonnie at least had some leverage. If my mother finds out that the Ascendant is destroyed..."_

 _They_ were why she suffered. _Mystic Falls_ was the reason she suffered.

His feet ate up the forest floor as he continued to move further from the house. Further from blood, from that pain and that realization. Kai just ran and he did so without abandon.

He didn't know where he was when he finally stopped. He could feel sweat burning across his forehead, causing his shirt to stick to his chest. The first sound came out a cry. Like part of his soul had been ripped away. The second sound was a yell that echoed off the trees around him. He dug the palm of his hands against his eyes. As if to remove the scene from his head. Then came the last sound. It was pure, unbridled _fury_.

Tears threatened his eyes as he dropped to his knees and screamed. His body trembled as he released that energy that hit him so close to Bonnie. He released the pain she beat into his body. He released it all - toppling trees in the distance as the bubble spread.

He was sure he was far enough from the house to be a danger to Bonnie. A tired, broken sound left him as the sound of her voice questioning the universe of her woes played like a scratched record in his mind. Kai stared at his hands as they shook in front of him. His breathing was rapid, uncontrolled, like his heart was threatening to leap from his chest.

"No more."

He looked up to the sky. His fingers clawed the air as he screamed at the sky - at the universe. At whatever higher power was getting their jollies off at Bonnie Bennett's expense.

"NO MORE!"

Silence, deafening and cleansing all at once. He didn't know how long he'd been there. The nothingness had settled over him completely. Kai pushed to stand with an inhale, he turned on his heel with an exhale. His eyes were hard, strange and dull as he began his trek back to the house.

The moon was looming full overhead, clear among the stars by the time he got back. A flick of the wrist to quiet the car alarms that had been blaring for what may have been hours. He stood looking over Lucy's cold body, that dull look in his eyes as he stooped low to gather her gently in his arms.

"I'll be patient, Lucy. I promise." He carried her into the house then. She would have to be laid to rest soon.

Then they would start searching out their pound of flesh.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Bonnie didn't know how long she'd been unconscious. But she knew it had been for some time. The sound of the car alarms going off in the night of her suburban neighborhood was muffled in her ears, as though someone had stuffed cotton into her ear canals to prevent her from hearing anything. But she heard it anyway. She heard that and the sound of her cousin laughing the night before when they all finally picked a movie to watch in the living room.

Why did the last movie that Lucy saw have to be _The Departed_? Why did Kai have to be the one trapped in a time loop for nearly twenty years and insist on watching movies during the years of their release date? They could have watched something stupid. Something sappy. Something fun.

She couldn't complain. She'd enjoyed the film and so had Lucy, despite all the violent deaths involved.

Even so, Bonnie had wished for something else. Had wished her last conversation with her cousin hadn't been over the goddamn phone while she and Kai were screwing around in the grocery store. They could have easily ordered Chinese takeout and had it delivered.

If they had just been there…

Like a zombie, Bonnie pulled herself from the bed. She didn't care that the alarms were still going. She probably needed to turn them off but fuck her neighbors. They weren't there for her when her family was dying all around them. Who was she to give a damn about their normal lives? Let the alarms rock their boats some. It could be a metaphorical "fuck you" - one that she'd been meaning to give for some time now.

Her legs carried her outside to the front yard. She stepped over Lucy's body like she weren't even there. Bonnie began gathering up the groceries that had scattered across the lawn. When everything was collected, she pivoted on her heels and made her way back into the house - beelining straight to the kitchen.

The witch methodically put everything away. The only things she allowed to stay out of the cabinets, the fridge and various other locations in the pantry were the four bottles of champagne they had purchased. Tonight was intended to be a night of celebration. The three of them had successfully rid the world of the 1903 Ascendant and, as a result, cut off all possible escape routes for the Heretics to travel to their realm.

No witchpires.

But now Bonnie carelessly popped the cork off one of the bottles, the resounding crash that followed indicating that it had flown out the kitchen window. She giggled a little, not heeding that the bubbly was spilling from the lip of the bottle and onto the floor. Her lips pressed along the rim, the fizzy alcohol dancing along her tongue and tickling her throat as it slid down into her gut. It was like a swift kick in the ribs, but she was thirsty and the witch longed for anything to deflect her mind from the alarms that droned on from the cars as well as the thoughts of her cousin's corpse still resting in the yard.

Somewhere between the second and third bottles, Bonnie had opted to get creative and started mixing alcohols with the champagne. Mimosas had been an idea for all of three minutes before the orange juice was gone. She'd given it a rest with the champagne, moving on to bourbon when the sound of the car alarms finally ceased. The ridiculous thought of them finally shutting up on their own crossed her mind until she heard the door to the house open.

Bonnie scooped up her glass, staggering over to the front entrance on shaky legs just as Kai entered with Lucy in his arms. A laugh sputtered from her lips as their eyes met, her hand holding the glass extending a single digit to point an accusatory finger at him. There was a look of shock on his face that seemed to wash away a dull, murderous glint in his eyes. Or was that the alcohol messing with her?

"It's you," she said, her tongue fat with alcohol. Her steps were sloppy and so was her speech, but Bonnie didn't care. "I was beginning to think you'd left me to clean up this mess. Just like everyone else in my life! Always leaving me!"

Those words had apparently stopped Kai in his tracks. But it didn't matter. Why did it need to matter?

It didn't. She wouldn't let it.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

He could feel his molars grinding to dust in the back of his mouth at that statement. The muscle in his jaw throbbed with the pressure of the bite. However, before he could say a word, or at least in a way that she could see it, Bonnie turned around and made her way flippantly back to the kitchen - draining the glass of bourbon along the way. Already she was reaching for the neck of the bottle and pouring herself another one.

"I decided to start celebrating without you," Bonnie called back, her voice light as a drunken giggle tumbled out of her. Her shoulders shook with the gesture as she pressed the glass to her lips. "Sorry-not-sorry. I think there's one bottle left for you."

Kai's steps were measured as he followed her into the kitchen and watched her drown her sorrows. He continued to stare as she poured herself another glass. He couldn't let her cousin see her like this. He took Lucy's body to another room downstairs before returning to her.

He took up a lean in the kitchen as he watched her attempt to numb away everything with alcohol. Drinking the pain away; drinking _that_ pain away. He could feel his fingertips digging into his palm as she giggled again in an odd fashion. He could use a drink, it crossed his mind. To grab the available bottle, sit down, and soak his misery in something hopefully above 80 proof. There was something inside of him that wouldn't allow it; the sensation couldn't be quelled with alcohol. Not yet.

Bonnie, unable to stand on her own two feet anymore, finally sank into a chair at the kitchen island while emptying the glass of half its contents before setting it down and sliding her entire upper body across the counter. Her cheek was pressed against the granite - green eyes gazing at the amber liquid in her tumbler glass. Soon, he saw those same green hues mist over and he watched Bonnie starting to laugh - her mild hysteria taking over until her tears fell along the island's surface as he made to close the distance between them.

"This is...this is my fault," she half-whispered, half sobbed. Bonnie lifted up her arm and buried her face into the crook of her elbow. "...this is all my fault."

"Bon, don't." His words came out more sharp, terse than he wanted. His arms fell to his side on the approach to drop into a crouch in front of her. "Don't you _dare_ blame yourself for this. You know _she_ wouldn't want you to do that. She wouldn't want you here at this table, drinking your grief away. You don't have to do that. This is not your fault."

He opened his mouth, closed it, and then exhaled softly. "Bon, I need you right now." He grabbed her hands in his, his thumb working comforting warmth into her skin. "I need you so we can send her off. She doesn't deserve to linger here." His hands were firm, suddenly, as they held tighter.

"We'll get whoever did this, Bon."

His brows furrowed as he tried to find an emotion, a comfort of some sort that would be any good, and nothing came to mind. However, Bonnie stirred enough to finally look at him - her green eyes glassy with tears and alcohol.

"I'm so...so sorry, Bonnie."

 _For your pain. For your loss. For your lack of life._

 _For Mystic Falls._

"I promise you, Bon. We'll get them and I'll even stand back so you can rip their spines from their assholes. But now? Cry your tears, baby. I am not leaving you, Bonnie Bennett. I've spent this small portion of my life trying to _stay at your side_. I'm not going anywhere now."

Probably not ever.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Numbness.

It was all she wanted.

It was all she believed she needed.

Bonnie wanted to feel nothing and the mere fact that tears were falling from her face angered her. She didn't want to feel this sadness; this guilt. This _shame_ that was threatening to blanket itself all over her body. There was a part of her that was finally beginning to understand why Elena had burned her house down after she'd lost Jeremy. When she believed she had nothing left in her life worth loving or living for.

She wanted nothing more than to set fire to her childhood homes - to erase all the memories and pain that came with being surrounded by the things that she loved. Only because it reminded Bonnie of all the things she no longer had. No mother. No father. No grandmother. And now? Now she really had no family left. At least not of the witch line. No one else who could tell her of all the different things in life that she had missed and of all the various experiences in her life that she could have been exploring had it not been for the constant ebb and flow that was utter misery revolving around her.

Was she cursed? Had someone _cursed_ her bloodline all those years ago? She'd read about how much the Bennett line had thrived hundreds of years ago. How they had been so terrifyingly powerful, yet fair and earnest in their ways. How could a coven of thousands be reduced to this? To just _her_ to speak for them?

It was official. She, Bonnie Bennett, was now the true Matriarch of the Bennett witches. Because she was the _only_ Bennett witch left.

Bonnie was going to be sick.

Kai was waiting for her to respond. For her to get herself together. He said that Lucy wouldn't have wanted her sitting there, a slave to booze in a vain attempt to numb herself of the pain. But even Bonnie knew that she couldn't remain in a perpetual state of inebriation. After all, witch or not, her liver was still very much human and she couldn't die. Not again. Not yet.

Not until she was able to make whoever did this pay for what they'd done.

Her fingers curled into Kai's as he held fast to her hands and all she could do was look at the sheer honesty in his eyes. Even though he'd known Lucy for just a few days, he was damaged by this too. Whether it was because seeing her in so much pain had triggered something in him or if, by some off chance, Lucy and Kai had truly become friends in such a short span of time remained to be seen. But the pain was clear. His anger was clear. She hadn't missed that glimpse of murder in his eyes because she was almost sure that it was in her own, swimming around in her green depths.

For the first time, in a long time, Bonnie truly did want to kill. She wanted to maim and hurt and cause never-ending suffering to the one who had done this to her and to her _family._ And she would make them pay for all of it. Render them limb from limb until they begged for death. When the begging began, Bonnie would be even crueler and heal them - preventing them from being swallowed by the jaws of death; saving them from the Reaper's deadly scythe.

And then she would do it all over again.

Bonnie didn't know what look had passed over her face, but it must have unsettled Kai in a way that he hadn't been prepared for. Suddenly, he pulled her into his arms so that she was down on the floor with him. The alcohol warmed her from the tips of her toes to the crown of her head, but it was taking everything inside of her to maintain a steady level of breathing. She kept telling herself she needed to hold it together.

But as she filled herself with the scent of his cologne, Bonnie finally let go of what restraints she had been putting on herself and cried freely into his chest. An arm moved to curl up under his own so that she could grip onto his shirt, digging her fingers into the meat of his shoulder blade. His arms encircled her even tighter and there Bonnie Bennett sobbed her heart out.

Because she wasn't as alone as she believed herself to be. She realized that now. The saddest part about it? It had taken the death of another loved one for her to see it and that was the one thing Bonnie regretted the most.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett Home - The Next Day ~_

There was no sleep that evening prior. None. Both Kai and she had moved through the house, gathering everything that was needed for the ceremonial rites for Lucy. Bathing. Cleaning. Stitching of wounds and casting a spell over her body to give it a bit more color and life than it had been prior. It almost seemed a waste since they were going to perform the funeral pyre ritual, but Bonnie wanted to see her cousin's peaceful, beautiful face once more.

Bonnie was being selfish and Kai had allowed her to be.

It had taken them the better part of the morning to collect enough wood to build the pyre. Kai had busied himself with tying off wood and branches - arranging everything properly while Bonnie had moved herself through her Grams' herb garden. She collected flowers and herbs, things that would burn and leave a pleasant fragrance in the air to cover up the smell of charred flesh. Lucy had never married, but Bonnie had prepared a bouquet of flowers that would have made any bride blush and the bridesmaids flush with envy.

Somewhere in the early afternoon hours, Kai had convinced her to get some food into her. He fed her a simple brunch of scrambled eggs and a blueberry muffin. She threw it up an hour later. Kai told her to relax for a bit on the couch and he tucked her in with the pale blue throw. Afterward, he'd fixed all the broken bits of the house as well as repaired the windows of the cars outside. She thought she heard him say something about being back in a few hours and Bonnie had given a non-committal nod and hum from her body. But when he'd returned looking damn near sick and exhausted, Bonnie only wondered what it was he'd done. The answer didn't come to her later until she finally peeked outside and saw that Lucy's rental car was nowhere to be found.

He'd taken it back to the airport and teleported himself back to Mystic Falls. The magic used must have drained him and she knew that he'd be fine after a quick nap. They had been busy all day and Bonnie knew she couldn't sleep. But that didn't mean she had to punish Kai with not sleeping either.

Bonnie laid out a sandwich, chips and a bottle of water for him to have when he woke up. Instead of heading upstairs to her room, she opted to enter the guest bedroom that Lucy had been occupying. She slipped into the bathroom to freshen up, noting that there were two things still situated on the sink. Bonnie almost believed that they were things that Lucy had forgotten to pack, but a note was taped on one of them and her name was written across it in her cousin's handwriting.

Picking up the bottle, she saw that it contained a pale blue liquid. Lifting off the top, her nose was given the pleasure of picking up the scent of lavender mixed with frankincense. There was a small, glass rod attached to the top and Bonnie knew that this was a perfume meant to dabble bits on just the hot spots. She took another whiff of the concoction and smiled, shaking her head as she set the item down back on the sink. Even without guidance from her cousin, Bonnie knew that the perfume was meant to be dabbled on the "hot spots" of the body.

Next to the bottle was a single talisman, a clear quartz stone with intricate metal workings placed around the stone where it lay perfectly. Bonnie canted her head slightly, wondering just what it was meant for when another note fell to the floor. Picking it up, she opened the folded piece of paper and read what was inside.

 ** _Bonnie,_**

 ** _It isn't much, but I hope that it will come to help you down the line. This crystal is pure which means that it is open to being imbued with magical properties. You can manipulate it to be whatever you want it to - the sky's the limit. Just make sure that whatever you do wind up using it for counts for something. I had to barter and do a few favors to get this - it's hard finding stones this pure and free of magical manipulations. But I know you'll do something wonderful with it. Take care, Cousin, and I'll be in touch._**

 ** _~ Lucy_**

 ** _P.S. Don't let that perfume I made for you go to waste, you hear me?_**

Collapsing to the floor, Bonnie laughed and cried simultaneously. Even before getting ready to leave, her cousin was still looking out for her. She was still wanting her to be her own individual and to live her life by her own choosing. If Lucy hadn't been so cruelly ripped away from her, what other things could she have taught Bonnie? What other adventures could they have had together? Life lessons? Memories? They had all been taken away in a single evening and now Bonnie was having to lay Lucy to rest in a place that she never considered her home in the first place.

Clutching both the bottle and the stone, she wept shamelessly - each sob dragging through her like a stone rolling through mud. It wasn't fair. None of it was. But what was actually fair in her life, really? She should have expected this.

But this would be the last time.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Lucy's body was set atop the pyre, surrounded by herbs, flowers, blessed salts and crystal shards. A blessed cloth covered her body up to her waist. Her hands folded with a bouquet of wildflowers and herbs. The moon was high in the sky casting its light onto the sacred circle they'd cast.

They both wore soft robes of cornflower blue - something that Bonnie managed to pull from her Grams' trunk. He didn't know if these were the official robes of the Bennett witches or what, but he wasn't about to question it. Kai didn't bother to break out his official Gemini Coven robe or colors. He couldn't bring himself to tarnish this ceremony with the mistakes of his Coven. The same mistake which had them standing in front a pyre with Lucy Bennett's body atop it.

He looked at Bonnie as she finished placing the remaining garlands she'd made from the flowers in her grandmother's garden along the outside of the pyre.

"Come on, Bon. While we still have moonlight." He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, for a moment, before moving to the North point of the circle.

Bonnie still didn't want to believe that any of this was real. She'd said as much while they were putting everything together just before the sun began to reach the cusp of twilight. A shuddering breath left her and she wiped at the last tear that tried to slip across her cheek. A nod of her head as she moved to join him.

They shared a look before lifting their hands to the sky. A deep inhale, a soft exhale and the world around them went still.

Kai felt the rippling effects of the world's magic around him. His breathing eased off, his chest rising and falling in tandem with each beat of his heart. _"Magic of Samhain dreams,"_ he began, his arms rising higher above him. _"Spirits of mystical north, oh guardian of earth, heed our prayers throughout this rite, come forth."_

He closed his eyes and took another breath, the magic of his coven weaving into him. _"As the stars crown our brow, this song of Magic we hear. Open the gates that our loved ones may pass and our words draw them near."_

Opening his eyes, a flash of blue fire appeared at the North point of the pyre. He saw Bonnie taking a soft inhale, her green eyes melding with the blue flames as she parted her lips to speak. _"Deep peace of the quiet earth to you."_

They moved next to the East point of the circle. Their hands raised with a deep inhale and then a soft exhale. This time, Bonnie was the one to raise her arms higher as the wind picked up speed around them. The hood of her robe barely stayed on, but stay it did atop the crown of her head.

 _"Magic of Samhain dreams,"_ she said softly. _"Spirits of mystical east, oh guardian of air, heed our prayers at behest of loving words."_ Kai watched her close her eyes and take a breath as well, the magic of her ancestors melding with his own coven's magic that was permeating from him. _"As on wings of warding we soar, this song of Magic we hear. Open the gates that our loved ones may pass and our words draw them near."_

This time, Bonnie opened her eyes and a flash of orange fire appeared at the East point of the pyre. He smiled gently before returning to a neutral expression. _"Deep peace of the flowing air to you."_

They moved with their hands still raised to the South of the Circle. This time, however, Kai reached out and grasped Bonnie's hand in his, raising them both just a little higher into the air. _"Magic of Samhain dreams,"_ he chanted, looking directly at the sky this time. _"Spirits of mystical south, oh guardian of flame, heed our prayers and spare us lengths of drouth. As your touch warms our souls, this song of Magic we hear, open the gates that our loved ones may pass and our words draw them near."_

Bonnie's fingers gripped just a little bit more tightly through his as a yellow flash of fire appeared. _"Deep peace of the shining stars to you."_

Finally, they shifted themselves toward the West, the final point of the circle. Turning, Kai gently moved Bonnie so that both of their hands were laced through each other's and their eyes met. He watched her take a breath in time with his, their lips parting to recite the final chant together.

 _"Magic of Samhain dreams,Spirits of mystical west,Oh guardian of water, heed our prayersAnd deem we sisters and brothers blessed._

 _As your rushing rivers flowThis song of magic we hearOpen the gates that our loved ones may passAnd our words draw them near._

 _Deep peace of the running wave to you."_

They each took a torch and made their way toward the opposite points of each other. Kai took the South point and Bonnie took the North point where Lucy's head rested. The candles that had been lit paled in comparison to the light coming from the balls of flames that floated at each cardinal direction of the pyre. Kai watched Bonnie extend her arm, her torch ignited by the blue flame and his burned a bright orange.

Then they pressed the flames of their torches to the pyre, the Eastern and Western flames moving in time with their motions. Kai lifted his gaze to meet Bonnie's as the flames licked the sides of the bound kindling. Once the fire danced between them, they each approached opposite sides of the of the pyre - this time to the Eastern and Western points.

Bonnie took one last look at Lucy. She took one last look at the very definition of what family meant to her and, in a way, what family should have always been for Kai. "Goodbye, Lucy. I'm so sorry." A kiss was placed on her cousin's cold cheek before she pulled the cloth over her face. The tears had begun to fall as she lowered her torch to the base of the pyre first. "Deep peace of the infinite peace to you, Lucy Bennett."

"So is our will and our wish. So shall it be." Kai managed to keep that schooled neutrality on his face. He let his torch touch the base of the pyre.

The crackling wood and smoke whirled in dervish above their heads. Their magic bloomed outward into that sacred space they had opened between the worlds. He moved around the pyre to stand at Bonnie's side. An arm snaked around her shoulder to pull her tight against him. Glowing embers lifted skyward to sail into the night sky. The trees shuddered in unison, causing a soft sigh of sound around them. As if the world mourned _with them_ as Lucy Bennett's body turned to ash and returned to the place they hoped to go when their time came.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

It was dawn by the time the pyre had finally burned to ashes. Bonnie had gone inside to retrieve an urn that she'd found in the attic. Kai had volunteered to watch over the last of the embers to make sure that everything had burned through and that a stray ember wouldn't fly off and scorch anything else in its wake.

The ceremony had been beautiful. It was a proper send-off for a witch and she knew that she wouldn't have been able to do this alone. Not because she was incapable of it, but because Bonnie was sure that she'd still be in the denial stages of her grief had Kai, a fellow witch, not been with her.

Even though she never asked for it, Kai had given her her solitude. It was the time she needed to be able to gather up Lucy's ashes and place them into the urn. When everything that she could place inside was fitted into it, she picked a few of the flowers from her grandmother's herb garden and put them into the urn as well - sealing it with the metal stopper. Another silent prayer was given and Bonnie finally took a breath, feeling a heavy weight lifting off her chest.

As she stood up, a wave of her hand was given and it was like the world had been restored to its natural state. There was no patch of blackened grass and earth where they had burned her cousin. The trees had been repaired and the soil was fresh and new once more. It was hard to imagine that just moments earlier there had been a roaring funeral pyre. Now there was just the yard as it had been. As it would hopefully continue to be.

The roar of a blender could be heard in the house as Bonnie made her way back inside through the back door. Kai was in the kitchen, of course. But what he was concocting, the spirits only knew. She set the urn on the mantle of the fireplace in the living room before pivoting around and entering the kitchen.

Kai had a bowl of fruits and vegetables next to him on the counter and two large glasses. After he finished blending together a purplish colored thing inside, he poured it into the glass. Bonnie wrinkled her nose, not sure if she even wanted to know what was in it. He must have sensed her magic because he turned around and looked straight at her, a tired smile forming on his lips.

"Hey," was all he offered.

Bonnie sidled up next to him, hopping up on the counter while kicking her legs back and forth like a child. "Hey."

He held the glass out to her after putting a straw in it. "I know you probably don't feel like eating, but you need your nutrients. I blended a fruit and veggie juice for you."

She studied the glass with distaste. "What's in it?"

"Just drink it, woman," he said while rolling his eyes. He threw some more fruits and vegetables into the blender and began working on his drink.

"If this is gross, I'm going to hex you," she threatened, taking the straw between her fingers.

"And if it's delicious, I'm going to demand a kiss as payment," he said loudly over the roar of the blender.

Taking a cautious sip, Bonnie could taste the various fruits and vegetables. But none of them were overpowering or bitter. He seemed to have diluted it with water or maybe even a splash of some of the juice they'd bought from the grocery store. Three sips in and she could feel her body being rejuvenated. It didn't occur to her to actually attempt to lie about how good it tasted before she realized that half the juice was gone from the glass. She noted the smug look of triumph on Kai's face as he poured his own glass.

Damn. It _was_ delicious.

She watched him inch closer to her, leaning his hip against the edge of the counter as he stuck his face toward her. Bonnie leaned back and away, the back of her head brushing up against one of the cabinet doors. "I knew it," he said easily, offering his cheek. "And since I'm a nice guy these days, I'll take just a peck this time."

Bonnie drained the glass of its contents, setting it down beside her before she took his face in her hands and made him look up at her. Pressing her palms together against his cheeks, she grinned as she forced his face to squish and his lips to pucker like a fish. Then she zipped forward, pressing her lips against his for a hard, playful kiss. A loud smacking noise echoed in the kitchen as Bonnie pulled back and Kai pouted, his lips still puckered up.

"I don't like having any debts," she said, shaking his head back and forth in her hands.

He folded his arms across his chest. "No fair," he whined, his words pushing from his mouth followed by a small bit of spittle.

Bonnie laughed gently, releasing her hold on his face and letting her hands rest along his shoulders. One of his palms slid up her arm, trailing his nails down her shoulder and then stopping to cup at her elbow. "...thank you."

Kai tilted his head slightly as he looked at her, brows raising in question. "For what?"

"For being here." Bonnie paused, closing her eyes and letting her forehead press against his. "For _staying_ here."

She didn't think that Kai would have been the one to help her through this; to be the one to make her laugh despite the absolute horrible predicament they had just been in. It should have been any of her friends from her childhood. It should have been Jeremy, Elena, Caroline or even Tyler. Hell, it could have been Stefan and, despite how she'd left him, Damon too.

Instead, it had been Kai. And in a different world, she probably would have accused herself of being a sell-out. But not today. Not when he'd seemed to have been just as hurt by Lucy's passing as she had been.

"Bon?"

Her eyes fluttered open and she was met with the worried glint in Kai's gray-blue hues. She leaned back a margin, feeling his other arm snake around her waist. He gently pushed her legs apart so that he could situate himself between them and she let her heel rest along the back of his thigh.

"What?"

"There's something I need to tell you."

She shook her head, leaning back a bit further. "What is it?" The worry lines deepened across his forehead. "What's the matter?"

"It's about Lucy."

"What about her?" Bonnie didn't know if she could take much more of anything regarding her cousin today.

Kai seemed to be weighing this out, his eyes averting hers momentarily before finally looking back at her. "After we destroyed the Ascendant, I decided to go pay the Salvatores a visit." Bonnie's brows raised slightly, her eyes going wide for a moment and he dug his fingers into her back in reassurance. "I didn't want you having to deal with passing that message along that we destroyed it. Not after you had basically ransacked their home and dished out your warnings. I figured it would be better if I did it and to finally tell them to fuck off and leave you the hell alone. That there was no point pestering you over this shit anymore."

Bonnie took a deep breath and then nodded. Okay, she could level with that. She could understand that. But the fact that Kai still had that worried expression on his face is what bothered her. "And then?"

"Damon said something that didn't sit right with me." Kai paused, taking a moment to really put together the next thing he was going to say. "He said that I had put you and Lucy in danger because the Ascendant was at least leverage you had against Damon's mother. Your bargaining chip."

"What?" Bonnie blinked a few times, then bit her lower lip in anger. "Why would he say that? He already knew where I stood with that whole idea in the first place. I was not about to let those things into our world! Not under _any_ circumstance!"

" _I know_ , Bonnie," he said firmly. "And he insinuated that his mother would be a loose cannon if she found out. I couldn't believe that he'd actually just _let_ his mother go on some murderous rampage, but he wasn't nearly as horrified over the idea as I was. I don't think he would willingly let you go into danger or get hurt which makes me think that Damon doesn't-"

"Don't." Bonnie's voice was harsh, her anger beginning to boil at the surface. "Don't start making excuses for him." Her eyes narrowed viciously as her fingers dug into Kai's shoulders. "If he didn't have a hand in this, he _knows_. He at least _knows_ what went down and decided to do nothing!"

"Bonnie, we don't know that!" Kai shook her arm gently, attempting to calm her bubbling anger. "We don't know that but I do know this… Lucy gave us more than just well wishes and farewells."

Green eyes cut to Kai's face, her eyes narrowing further in question. "What do you mean?"

"Lucy was a witch," he said, reaching up to tuck a stray bit of hair behind her ear. "Which means that her magic exists and flows through every single inch of her. Skin. Nails. Organs. Even her _blood_ has magical properties." He held his hand up, fingers spread and his palm facing her. "Another cool thing about being a coven leader of the Gemini and being linked like we are? I can tap into different skills of witches in the coven. We happen to have a few who are capable of psychometry."

"That's being able to read the history or memories of things through touch, right?"

He nodded. "Exactly. And I know for a fact that Mommy Salvatore was here. And she took a pretty good beating from Lucy. She probably would have won if someone hadn't interfered."

"Who?"

"Pretty sure it was that Enzo guy, judging by the accent that I could retain from the memories Lucy left behind."

"But no Damon or Stefan?"

"Nope."

"I see." Bonnie turned her head slightly, her eyes lowering to the ground but not actually looking at it. "So they weren't involved…"

"Like I said, I don't know for sure. I just know what Lucy's memories showed me. And I think she used the last of her life force to _curse_ Lily."

A snort left Bonnie as she closed her eyes. "That sounds like my cousin. If she knew she wasn't going to survive the fight, she was going to go down swinging and take out whoever she could along the way."

"It's a spell I don't recognize though. It wasn't Latin."

She nodded, looking back at him. "Probably one she learned while she was in New Orleans."

"Anyway," Kai urged while stroking his fingers along her jawline. "We can pretty much narrow it down to what happened." Bonnie just stared at him for a stretch and his other hand moved from her waist to rest along the outside of her thigh. "So you know what this means, right?"

The fire that blossomed in her chest resembled that of the pyre they had just finished burning away for Lucy. Bonnie wanted pain and suffering for those who had come gunning for her family. This was a declaration of war. And a war that she was going to make sure she was going to win.

"Yeah," came her cold response. "It means I'm going to kill Lily Salvatore."

* * *

 ** _AN:_** _And we have reached the end of the next chapter! Guys, I'm so excited and heartbroken and angry. My emotions are just all over the place. But yes, we will be wrapping up this arc soon and heading into the second arc of The Reset! I cannot believe we made it this far together and over just a few short months! Everyone has been so supportive and kind and I'm forever thankful for all the love and comments that have been given. Again, it means SO SO MUCH to me! Once again, I want to thank my beta reader and friend, **Tomi** , for helping me with this chapter. I was really stuck and it's always nice to have a sounding board to throw ideas across, as well as to help with the writing process! You're amazing! SMOOCHES! So yeah, this was a hard chapter to write, but we're getting there! See you in the next chapter!_


	23. Fan The Flames

_**AN: TRIGGER WARNING - The following chapter contains disturbing graphic images, depictions of cruel torture and overall graphic violence. Reader discretion is advised.**_

* * *

 _~ 2013 - ?, Virginia - Outside of Mystic Falls ~_

"Are you sure that this is going to work?"

Kai smirked as his hands trailed along the walls of the abandoned building, sending out tiny pulses of his magic throughout to cloak the structure. "Trust me, it's going to work."

He cast a backwards glance to Bonnie as she sat at a lone table in the middle of the room, sorting through an array of books as a lamp illuminated both her and the table. When he looked into her eyes, he didn't see trepidation or even worry lining her gaze. Bonnie had always been a bit reticent when it came to her emotions outside of anger and irritation. She had never spoken about her guilt or even apologized for having left him in 1903. Because in some way, she was justified. Kai knew this and had even said as much.

No. He had been the one who had something to apologize for; for having ruined her and almost breaking that Bonnie Bennett spirit and dousing that fire that he most certainly had come to appreciate over the last few months. A fire he'd appreciated since the first day he'd met her - both literally and figuratively. It had been an interesting journey for them both and one that Kai didn't want to cease having with her. There was still so much about himself that he needed to discover and understand - hell, maybe even nurture to a degree. But there was something about being with Bonnie that had amplified that need more than anything.

He needed her. He could say that now and say it without shame. He just wouldn't say it out loud - not without something to back it up. Not to her.

"You know," she said, her voice an echo along the walls of the building, "there is a part of me that wants to know how you even got access to a place like this."

He chuckled as he crossed the empty space and slid into the chair across from her. "Yeah?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes before pulling out a map from underneath a pile of books. "The other part of me doesn't. So don't tell me. I don't want my _morals_ getting in the way of this." She unfolded it to reveal that it was a full map of Virginia. "Not today."

Kai fished into his pants pockets and pulled out a small vial of blood. There was barely any in it - a few drops at best. But he knew that it would be more than enough for Bonnie to be able to find what she was looking for. He held it out to her and she immediately twisted off the cap and dropped a single dab of it onto the map.

 _"Phasmatos Tribum, Nas Ex Veras, Sequitas Sanguinem."_

The blood on the map began to move slowly - showing a path that was leading toward Mystic Falls. Kai couldn't help but notice the dark smirk that was starting to play at the corners of her lips. Not that he didn't mind this darker side of her, but that was something he wasn't sure Bonnie was ready to actually touch. Not yet. She was the "good guy" and sometimes that got in the way of her surviving. He was all about her being selfish when it came to protecting her own life.

But this? This was a different path and he didn't know if Bonnie was truly ready to walk it. Kai didn't mind because what did he care about Lily Salvatore? Like he'd told Damon, his own coven had fucked up when they decided to let her live instead of executing her on the spot. This was the Gemini's mess. These situations wouldn't even be a factor had his ancestors grown some damn balls and killed all those blood sucking bastards the minute they stepped off the boat.

Kai would make sure to rectify that mistake though. It would be the first of many things that he planned on fixing in the Gemini Coven as its new leader.

When the blood finally stopped moving, they both stood from their chairs and leaned over the table so they could see just where it had landed. The trail stopped just outside of Mystic Falls. From what he was able to ascertain, it wasn't far from where the Traveler's seal had been. He saw Bonnie flick her eyes up at him and he gave her his best, impish grin. She must have found out from the others what happened and how the seal had been lifted in the first place. To further emphasize this, he held up a hand and flexed his fingers playfully at her. Bonnie smacked his hand away and Kai laughed in response.

"For someone who almost got away with murdering over three thousand people, Lily Salvatore isn't very smart."

Bonnie hummed quietly, pulling out a small notebook and began jotting down some addresses. "She's desperate," came her quick reply which slightly surprised him. "Lucy put a curse on her and she doesn't know what it is. But she also knows that high-tailing it out of town isn't going to do her much good since that will just raise her suspicions." She tossed the pen onto the table, her eyes lifting to meet his. "She knows that Damon and Stefan are going to hunt her down if she's gone for too long."

"Okay, but my question is what are you going to do when we find her?"

Her brows raised at him in question as she stood up to her full height and Kai mirrored her movements. "What do you mean?"

She still didn't seem to catch his drift. Sighing, Kai pushed back off the table and began pacing. A little dramatic, yes, but sometimes the flair was needed for moments such as these.

After a few seconds of pacing, Kai paused and then cast Bonnie a sidelong glance. "Did you know there are about fifteen different ways to hurt a vampire without actually killing them?"

She gave him a confused look, her brows cinching slightly. Kai figured she would. He continued.

"There's a reason why getting burned alive freaks vampires out."

Bonnie's confusion dissolved into a frown. "What's your point, Kai?" she snipped at him, causing him to shake his head. "If you're suggesting that I need a lesson in Murder 101 before we do this, save it. We just need to find her so I can kill her."

He rolled his eyes. "You stabbed me with a pickaxe, remember? I know you don't need a lesson on killing someone." Kai made his way over to her side and watched as she folded her arms across her chest in defiance. Reaching out, he grabbed for her arms and forced them to come unfolded so that he could grasp her wrists in his palms. "What I'm _telling you_ is that what you're about to do is a lot more personal. This isn't survival or even self-defense killing, Bon. This is _revenge_ and it tastes a lot different than what you might think."

"I thought revenge was supposed to taste sweet," came her snarky reply and Kai merely chuckled. She wasn't amused but he couldn't help himself. Not when it came to her. "Wouldn't you know a thing or two about that?"

Sighing, he gave her a pointed look. "Really, Bon?" He continued to hold onto her wrists and took a single step forward, further crowding her space which he knew got on her nerves but he didn't care. "I haven't killed my old man _or_ my entire coven and I already told you that what I did to my siblings left a bad taste in my mouth."

Remorse flashed across her features and she cast her eyes downward. "...I know. I'm sorry." This time she sighed in frustration before looking back up at him and he smiled a little. "I'm just aggravated, okay? I realize that this is probably the furthest thing from the person I usually am but I just _don't care_ right now, Kai!"

"And later?" He gripped her wrists a little tighter and then released them, only to drag his fingers along the insides of her palms. "It doesn't matter how you feel now as opposed to how you'll feel later. _That_ is what I'm trying to get across to you."

Bonnie pressed her lips into a thin line, her brows cinching further but she didn't pull away from him. That was a good sign of progress in his book and Kai would take just about anything he could get at this moment. Because this was a precarious situation for Bonnie. He knew this. Killing for the sake of self-preservation was one thing. Taking a life out of pure malice was something else entirely.

"You don't think that I can do it, do you?"

"I never said that."

"But that's what you're worried about, isn't it?" Bonnie's eyes narrowed as she jutted her chin out a little further, as if she were daring him to deny it. "You're worried I won't have the stomach for this."

"Bonnie…"

"Well, you're not entirely wrong." This time it was Bonnie who sighed. "I'm so angry at everything that's happened to me. I'm _so mad_ that I don't even care about losing my mind over this. Hell, I almost _want_ it to happen. For me to go batshit crazy because then maybe I could feel less of what I'm feeling right now."

"The crazy train isn't a bad place to be from time to time." Kai smirked. "But you don't want to stay on it for too long. Not you."

"And why not?"

"Only one of us needs to have a few screws loose, don't you think?"

"God, I hate you," she said, pulling herself from him. She made it about two steps before Kai grabbed her from behind and pulled her flush against him. He heard her gasp softly and he smiled, wrapping an arm across her chest as his palm fell along one of her shoulders. He felt her reaching up to grasp at his arm. "Kai?"

"No matter what happens, Bon, you'll still be that good person to me. Nothing you do today is going to change that. You have every right to be as angry and hurt as you are. I'm not going to take that away from you. No one has that authority." He leaned forward so that he could rest his cheek along her temple. "But I want you to know that if it gets to be too much...when you feel like you can't handle it, I'll step in at any time, okay? I've had blood on my hands before. One more stain won't hurt my conscience."

Kai felt her fingers grip tighter onto his arm and he shifted slightly as her head turned so she could press her nose against his cheek. "You're supposed to be turning over a new leaf, aren't you?" He inhaled just as she did, taking in all of her. "It'll be for nothing if you start killing people for no reason."

"It wouldn't be for no reason," he said matter-of-factly. "I feel like this is the Gemini's mess in the first place for not getting rid of her back in 1903. We'd be killing two birds with one stone, Bonster." Kai took a step back so he could turn Bonnie around to face him. "Trust me when I tell you that I've changed, Bon. But I can't erase the past either. I just have to learn to live with it and move forward. If you, of all people, can see the change in me then I don't care what anyone else has to say."

Worry lines creased her brow. "Don't you think you're putting too much stock into my opinion in order to dictate your life choices?"

This time he gave her his trademark, impish grin along with a brow waggle. "No pressure or anything." Bonnie rolled her eyes and he shook her shoulders back and forth. "Seriously though? I'm not. It isn't so much that your opinion is dictating my life choices. Think of it as more like you're helping to guide me in the right direction when I start to make bad ones."

"Whatever," she said, shaking her head and laughing before glancing back at the table where the map was. "Okay, I think the blood's stopped moving for good."

"You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Kai kissed her forehead, a loud _pop-smack_ following suit. He laughed as she smacked his chest "I'll be back before you know it."

* * *

 _~ 2013 - ?, Virginia - Outside of Mystic Falls - A Couple of Hours Later ~_

She hated to admit it, but Bonnie was worried.

When Kai teleported himself to the location where Lily and Enzo were currently held up at, she figured it would be just a quick snag, bag, and drag. But when fifteen minutes started pushing toward the first hour, Bonnie had to convince herself _not_ to call Kai and ask where he was. She didn't know if the phone ringing would give away his position so she opted to wait. The last thing she wanted to be responsible was for Kai's sneak attack to flop because of technology (something he was still adjusting to as the days pressed on).

The worry pacing started halfway into the second hour.

She flexed her fingers over and over again and had even resorted to nail biting. Her eyes constantly glanced at her phone and she couldn't help but kick herself in the head for not demanding that Kai teach her the teleportation spell. In fact, she should have just told him outright that she was going with him. No questions asked and no debating it. Period.

At the top of the second hour, Bonnie had given up. Plans be damned, she needed to know where Kai was. If he was dying somewhere or, worse case scenario, _he_ was the one being held hostage. But surely they would have called her by now, right?

Just as she picked up her phone to call him, he stumbled seemingly out of thin air into the abandoned building. Bonnie didn't feel any shame at the sudden scream she gave as Kai landed on his knees - Lily and Enzo both clutched in his arms on either side. She ran over to his side and was about to start laying into him when she noticed the small trail of blood leaking from his temple as well as the dribble of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"What happened?!"

He coughed, dropping the two unconscious vampires on the ground as he tried to gather his bearings. "That bastard sneak attacked me," he said, voice rasping into another small coughing fit. "I was waiting for the right time to get the jump on them both."

Cradling his face in her hands, Bonnie quickly inspected his injuries. "Any internal injuries?"

"I might have broken a rib or two." He clutched at his left side. "I'm not sure."

Bonnie grabbed him by the crook of his elbow to help him up onto his feet, her brows furrowing harshly. "Let me heal you."

Kai shook his head back and forth roughly. "No time," he said. "I managed to siphon them enough to weaken them and cast a sleeping spell on them. But I'm not sure how long it's gonna last." His gray-blue eyes darkened slightly as he looked at her. "We need to restrain them now before they wake up again."

She nodded, ushering him to a chair so he could sit down. "I've got this," she said once he was fully seated. "You just focus on recharging your magic."

Laughing, he brushed the back of his knuckles across his mouth to wipe it free of the blood. "Don't worry about me, Bonster." He gestured toward the vampires on the ground. "I sucked enough out of them for a boost. Just give me a minute to catch my breath."

"Sure."

Bonnie made her way over to Enzo first, lifting him up with her own strength and plopped him down on one of the chairs. His head swayed slightly and he gave a soft moan but he remained unconscious. Bonnie made short work of binding him with the chains and rope soaked in vervain she and Kai had managed to procure for this little endeavor. She did the same with Lily and within a handful of minutes, both vampires were fully restrained.

She made her way back over to Kai to check on him and saw that he was fishing around in the bag he'd brought earlier when they'd first set out to head to their current location. He pulled out a small box as well as a couple of grimoires that Bonnie didn't recognize. She could only assume that they were from the Gemini Archives.

"What is all of that?"

Bonnie eyed Kai as he continued to pull things out of said bag. There were many small, dark wooden boxes that he set aside with a sort of strange reverence. It almost disturbed her with how much care he was giving these mysterious objects.

He leaned back on his knees with a tilt of his head. "They're toys, Bonster."

There was something devious in his gaze as he pushed to stand. Bonnie narrowed her eyes as he scooped the items into his arms.

"Your definition of toys is starting to frighten me, Kai." She followed him to the table as he laid the boxes out in a row. The first box that he pulled was opened and she wrinkled her brow. "What the _hell_ is that?"

Kai appeared pleased as she asked. More than likely because he could explain without dragging her curiosity out - a way for him to show off; a thing she'd come to relate to his incessant yammerings. He plucked up the pear shaped device and held it aloft. He smiled like a late-night infomercial salesman with his hand flowing under the metal contraption. "This, my dear Bonnie, is the _Pear of Anguish_."

Her mouth opened as she sucked in a deep breath. There was a moment of silence (interrupted by the faint moan of the vampires behind them) where she stared at him in disbelief. Was he serious? Kai kept smiling and waving his hand over the item.

Fine. She'd humor him.

"Okay, okay. I'll bite. _What_ is the Pear of Anguish?" Bonnie knew she was going to regret this by the look on Kai's face. And based on that same look, she had a pretty good idea of what would be behind this little "lesson" she was going to receive.

"Well!" he said, snapping his fingers. " _This little item_ has a history dating back to the 1600s. It was used, primarily, to silence those who blasphemed against The Church."

Bonnie craned her neck to the side so she could get a better look at the thing. It was a strange looking device. It looked like an actual pear, in shape, with a stem. But, that stem was actually a dial that caused the pear to _flower_ open with each turn. Bonnie arched a brow as he opened it further, noting the sharpened edges along the flower's _petals_. Kai seemed mesmerized by the action as well. Bonnie jumped when he released the dial and the contraption snapped shut with a vicious _clink_ of sound.

"Holy-! Kai, Jesus! Where do you even _put_ that?"

Kai opened his mouth pointing the sharp edges toward the back of his throat. He wriggled his brow at her expression as she took a step back. "What? You said you were ready for this." There was a slight dip in his lips as he put it down slowly - her green eyes ever watchful. "I want you to get more than a pound of flesh here, Bonnie. Pulling teeth? That's child's play. We snap their necks _for fun_. Aneurysms aren't lasting. I want you to inflict the sort of pain that follows them into the afterlife."

Bonnie swallowed thickly as he began to unbox the rest of the toys. Metal contraptions, shiny and covered in spikes and straps. Things that would embed into the skin and cause more than just a little discomfort. She noticed the slick shine on everything he produced and a faint, familiar aroma.

"They're all coated in vervain?"

He nodded as the final items were unboxed. Knives. Lots of them. Varying in sizes and lengths. Blades that looked as if they could slice bone like butter. It shouldn't have surprised her _at all_ that he had an extensive knife collection, but she frowned slightly anyway.

Lord, what was she getting herself into, really?

"It'll hurt. It will heal. Then it will hurt more. The pain won't stop and it _shouldn't_ , Bon. Because your pain will still be here long after they're gone."

She chewed on the meat of her bottom lip as he spoke. Her eyes slid across the menu of pain that Kai had concocted, her shoulders sagging at that moment. She had to be ready for this. She was the one who wanted it, as much as Kai did.

For Lucy.

"Fine. Let's get started."

The shutters on the windows were closed, giving them the single light over their heads. It was more than enough for their needs. Bonnie had chosen a large, serrated knife while Kai grabbed his medieval oddity. They stood in front of the restrained vampires as they began to stir. Lily's head rolled from one side to the other as she groaned. Enzo grunted fighting against the restraints before even gaining full consciousness.

The sound of Lily's waking gasp echoed in the emptiness around them. Her eyes popped open as she realized, as she _remembered_ what had happened to them. Bonnie could see the recollection flitting over her pale hues as the vampire fought off the last bit of haze from her unconsciousness.

The first thing Bonnie made sure that she saw was the knife clutched between fingers trembling with anger. Lily's gaze slid up to her face and then? Lily Salvatore screamed as the pain of the vervain that had been soaking into her flesh registered into her mind. That scream had Enzo snapping awake with those bloodshot vampiric eyes pinned on Kai.

Kai wiggled his fingers in greeting as Enzo remembered their scuffle. "You sonuvabi-?!"

The moment Enzo got his fanged mouth opened wide enough? Kai jammed the pear-shaped torture device in as far as he could. The vampire made a choking sound as Kai almost jammed it down his throat. There was a sickening sound as the dial was turned, rapidly, until a creak in the bones of Enzo's jaw was audible. It sent a ripple of tension up Bonnie's spine.

She watched Kai smile at the wide-eyed terror on Enzo's face as the vervain soaked edges dug into the tender flesh inside the vampire's mouth. Enzo struggled against the poisoned rope holding him to the chair. The grunting strain in his chest and throat could be visibly seen as he attempted to shift the chair. Each movement and shift of his body caused the sharpened edge of that device to dig into the flesh of his face. Black welts appeared on his cheek as the vervain was worked in. Enzo couldn't help the tears welling in the corner of his eyes. He was surrounded by vervain on the inside and out. He screamed as best he could against the metal piece forcing his mouth open. The tears fell from the corners of his eyes as he attempted to rage in Kai's direction. But whether it was from pain or fury, Bonnie couldn't tell. The ache in her chest at the image of Lucy's smile flashed in her mind's eye served as a reminder to the young Bennett witch.

Reminding her that she was _the only_ Bennett Witch left.

"You hush now. The ladies need to talk." Kai pressed a finger against his lips. There was that sickening _krrrk!_ as Kai flicked his wrist, twisting Enzo's neck and, thusly, silencing him.

Steeling her emotions, Bonnie clung to the rage that was slowly mounting as a look of horror and outrage painted itself across Lily Salvatore's face. The vampire, however, said nothing. Sweat tinged her brow from the pain the vervain was inflicting across her skin and Bonnie focused on Lily struggling against her bindings. A dark smirk tugged at one corner of Bonnie's mouth as she pivoted away from Lily, the heels of her combat boots scraping along the dirty concrete beneath her feet.

"If you think for one second that _either_ of my sons are going to let you get away with-"

"With what?" she asked, rounding on Lily while pointing the knife's tip at her. "With kidnapping, torturing, and _killing_ you?" Bonnie didn't even try to stop the laugh that barked out from her. "Oh, I think they will, actually. Because I have a spreadsheet a mile long of all the people in my life they've been responsible for killing. My family is dead. All of them!"

"Spare me the sob story, Witch," sneered Lily. She tilted her chin up and tried to appear condescending despite the pain that was continuing to thrash at her from her bindings. "You have surrogates, do you not? Family isn't just blood alone."

"That's rich coming from someone who's been alive for over a hundred years."

"It's _because_ I've been alive for over a hundred years that I _can_ say that."

Bonnie scoffed. "No," she spat as she closed the distance between them. "All that means is that you've come to take human life for granted. The body count behind you is proof enough of that." She leaned forward so that she was directly face-to-face with Lily. The older woman snarled at Bonnie but she didn't even flinch.

Instead, she drove the serrated knife directly into the meat of her shoulder. The wet, slicing noises could be heard even over Lily's screams as blood wept mercilessly from her body. Bonnie's face remained neutral as she continued to push the blade into Lily, the distinct sound of bone scraping against the edges similar to a whip-crack that quickly filled the emptiness of the building. Bonnie's brow twitched when she felt spittle spray itself across her face - an act of defiance from Lily Salvatore.

The _only_ act of defiance she could give in her current predicament.

Straightening to her full height, Bonnie released her hold on the knife's handle and used the same hand to slowly wipe her face of Lily's saliva. She watched the vampire's chest rise and fall with great heaves of air, the violence swirling in her red and black depths.

"You won't do it, girl," choked Lily in between swallowing large gulps of air. "My sons told me all about you. The Bennetts were never sadistic witches. You're not capable of it. It's not in your bloodline." A slow smirk spread over the woman's features and she flashed a blood-stained smile at her laced with a shameless amount of arrogance. "Witches are the keepers of balance. They are servants!"

"Wrong." Bonnie narrowed her eyes. "Before the existence of hunters, we witches were the ones to hunt your kind down. _We_ were the ones responsible for maintaining the safety and sanctity of the human race. The enmity between vampire and witch goes beyond either of us." The corners of her mouth twitched into a small, forced smile. "The fact that you're alive and breathing upsets the balance of nature. As one who is _The Keeper of Balance_ , I'm going to set nature back on the right course and rid it of evil. Starting with you."

Lily laughed - a sound that was both manic and desperate. "You don't have it in you. You never have and you never will."

Without missing a beat, Bonnie jerked her hand forward and gripped the handle of the knife. She twisted her wrist, further digging the knife into Lily's shoulder. A shrill scream was received in response to her actions and Bonnie wasted no time ripping the blade completely from Lily's flesh - chunks of meat following and clinging to the serrated edges of the knife. Lily's shoulder looked like a wild animal had taken a chunk from her - the pearl white bone peeking out shyly from a flap of skin.

Red and black eyes flashed wildly at Bonnie whose expression had remained neutral. There was a tiny flicker of something dancing in those vampire eyes and had she been a little less angry, Bonnie might have noted it for what it was. But she didn't so it ultimately meant nothing to her.

" _Watch_ _me_."

And then Bonnie swiftly drew the knife across Lily's throat - a spray of blood painting the filthy concrete. All that could be heard was a gurgled scream of pain. Despite everything, it wasn't music to her ears. No. This vengeance would not taste sweet.

It would taste bitter. Bitter as vampire blood.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Kai stood back watching the square off between Bonnie and Lily. He couldn't help the _pride_ that flared in his eyes. His heart was beating at a furious pace as his fingers dug into his ribs. It was inappropriate, the thoughts he was having. The strength, magic, and _passion_ oozing from Bonnie Bennett was like a drug. She was a magic fueled catnip high and he wanted to tackle her to the floor and rub himself all over her.

Old Kai was peeking from the corners again.

He had to shake off the sudden lust that tightened his core as Enzo started to come to. "Tsk."

It was a displeased sound as Enzo's chest rose and fell rapidly. The panic setting in again as he healed and hurt over those vervain blades spreading his face wide. Enzo's eyes watered as he groggily tried to shift in his chair.

He saw Lily and that Bennett Witch with a blade on the approach. The pain was immeasurable, and made worse as Kai turned that dial a few more times. Enzo felt the joint of his lower jaw snap with the pressure. Kai sneered as Enzo struggled and bucked in the chair. A finger placed to his lips as Kai turned his wrist, sending the flailing vampire back into la la land.

He turned just as Bonnie struck again with that large, serrated, Bowie knife. God, he really _loved_ that knife. It was a maximum damage sort of weapon. It shredded going in and devastated on the way out. He took a small step back as vampire blood was flung to the floor. There was a sharp whistle as the knife sailed across the flesh of Lily's throat. Kai pulled a small vial from his pocket and shook it in Bonnie's direction.

"We might want to get a keepsake." Turning to Lily as she gurgled. "...something for your boys to have of you. Well, what will be left of you, anyway." Kai had a look of utter satisfaction as red and black eyes narrowed on him. Already her vampire magic was starting to thread the separated flesh on her throat back together.

"Oh, come on! She's right, you know? Witches were the ones hunting Vampires. We kept the balance." He reached out with a flick of the wrist causing Enzo's chair to scrape the floor as it turned to face her. Kai stepped behind it and leaned on the dazed vampire's shoulders as if they were old buddies. A hand clapped on Enzo's shoulder which caused him to mumble, attempt to anyway, in pain around the device in his mouth.

Kai's gaze turned dark and murky as he turned to face her again. "It was my Coven's mistake that you're still alive now. As the current Coven Leader of the Gemini? I feel it's my duty to see you dead." He leaned his face down next to Enzo's as Lily's wound was almost completely healed.

"We are capable of so much more than you think. Then again? If you stayed in the hellhole you crawled out of, you wouldn't be chained to a chair about to meet a _true_ end." There was a moment where Lily bucked against her restraints. Kai reached his hand around and started to twist the dial on the device in Enzo's mouth. The sickening cracking and dislocation of his jaw was audible in that space between them. Tears streamed down the vampire's face as he locked eyes with Lily. Those eyes were wide with fear as Kai smiled, keeping his gaze on Lily.

"Just in case you didn't think we were serious? Let me demonstrate!" All too happy to do so, Kai grabbed Enzo by the back of the neck. "This is for Lucy, _Kid_."

It happened fast. Kai twirled his fingers and the dial on the device spun until the blades popped out of the sides of Enzo's face - disfiguring him completely. It was as if the whole bottom of his face had exploded. The sound of horror erupted from Enzo as the pain seared him from head to toe. Strangely enough, Kai took very little satisfaction from this. Lily healed enough to garble a scream in Kai's direction. He locked eyes with her as he placed his hands around Enzo's head - and twisted.

There was a sickening pop that echoed into the space. Enzo's head rolled to Lily's feet as Kai added insult to injury - and staked Lorenzo St. John.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Bonnie had kept her back to Kai during the whole debacle. She never let her eyes leave Lily Salvatore's face. The sounds and smells were enough to give her a clue as to what was transpiring. Lily's ever changing expressions an added benefit to further paint the picture that was being created at Bonnie's back. Kai didn't use a single spell against Enzo except to silence him while she had been talking to Lily. Unlike most that she knew, Kai wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty and _relish_ in it.

The old Bonnie Bennett would have been disgusted with this. Bonnie 2.0, the one who had lost the last connection to her witch bloodline in this world? Not so much.

Wet, sticky sounds followed after the metallic snap. She _heard_ Enzo's head rolling to her feet before actually seeing it. Personally, Bonnie had nothing against Lorenzo St. John. It was too bad that he had chosen to make the wrong friends. For the record, Bonnie would have made a better friend.

But who was she to judge about the company anyone decided to keep? People that she had considered her friends had betrayed her and the one person she had seen as an absolute enemy had proven to be anything but. When given the time and the chance that he had asked for, Kai had opened her eyes to the very things she had been shutting them to. Was it her own naivete at work? Perhaps. But it was clear where some stood and where others didn't. They had made their choice.

Now she was making hers.

The vial was shaken at her again and Bonnie took it this time. Lily continued to scream her outrage, her words a jumbled mess of muffled buzzing that the witch didn't really need or want to decipher. Instead of acknowledging whatever outcries were pouring from Lily Salvatore's mouth, Bonnie chose to close her eyes and focus on her magic instead.

" _Venez sanguinem au moi."_

The blood that had fallen to the floor began to gather and rose off the ground, swirling in circles like a bright red ribbon. What blood remained on Lily's person from the wound Bonnie had inflicted on her earlier also collected and moved toward the vial. Once it was completely filled, she sealed the vial with a stopper and handed it to Kai. All the while, her eyes never left Lily's.

The older woman's eyes filled with tears. It was finally dawning on her what was about to happen. Like so many other people that had waltzed into Bonnie's life, Lily Salvatore had underestimated her. A mistake she would no longer be able to make. Not in this lifetime. This was the first of many lessons that Bonnie was planning to make for the rest of her days.

Never stir up a witch's ire.

"I know how much Stefan and Damon care about you. How much you care about them. Killing me, their mother, will ruin all of that."

"Will it?"

She flung her arm to the side, the force of her magic causing a gust of wind to slam against their bodies. The building rattled with the pressure of her power until the shutters flew open. Bright sunlight spilled inside like blades of gold. There had been a reason that she and Kai had set the chairs up where they had while keeping everything encapsulated in darkness.

Lily winced from the blinding light. She instinctively shrunk back from the sun flooding into the building. If Bonnie had superior vampiric senses, she would have bet every cent that she had on Lily's heartbeat going a mile a minute in that instance. Instead, she opted to focus on the steady up and down motions of her Adam's Apple as her chest rose and fell in rapid succession with each intake of breath.

The vampire eyes of red and black bled away to the pale sapphires Bonnie had come to associate with the Salvatores. Her own malachite tones became more prominent with the accompaniment of daylight.

"They'll hate you, Bonnie Bennett," came Lily's broken words. "My sons will hate you for what you are about to do."

"Then I should have hated yours sons _years_ ago."

Bonnie huffed a smirk before her face returned to being neutral. She was no fool. She saw this for what it was. It was Lily's last, desperate attempt at saving herself. Bonnie gripped onto Lily's Daylight Ring, ignoring the older woman's violent screams.

"I'm more than just a little curious on how you're planning to go about making your amends to the dead." She grinned, but there was no humor behind it. "I guess I'll never know."

The sound of sizzling skin was the first thing she heard over Lily's pained yells when she yanked the woman's ring off her finger. The magic that protected her from the sun was no longer available to her. Smoke billowed from her body and her skin caught fire, leaving behind an odious trail of burnt meat. But Bonnie refused to even grimace at the horrible array of sounds and smells that were assaulting her senses. Half of Lily's body began to catch fire and Bonnie finally managed to blink when she felt Kai's arms pulling her a step back away from the burning vampire.

Whoever said that the sounds of screams were like a symphony had never truly heard the death throes of another individual. Perhaps this was a sick and twisted sense of poetic justice to send Lily Salvatore off in this manner. Burning like so many witches in Salem had. Watching their bodies being consumed by fire with no means of being able to rescue themselves.

But she got her wish. Bonnie inwardly relished at the sound of Lily screaming as she died. Her eyes reflected the flames that scorched over every inch of the vampire woman's body.

Silence eventually came and all that remained of Lily Salvatore was a charred silhouette of her former self. Bonnie reached her hand out and extended a finger, the tip of her nail ghosting just over the point where Lily's forehead had once been. The figure crumbled into a pile of ash, a soft cloud of dust rising from the chair as the chains rattled along the ground.

This feel truly was bittersweet.

Kai's fingers lightly ghost across the backs of her knuckles. "It's finished."

She cast a sidelong glance to Kai, looking every bit as tired as she felt. Bonnie shook her head. "No," she murmured. "Not yet."

Fishing into one of the pockets of her jeans, she pulled out her cell and sent a mass group message out in just a few seconds.

 **Bonnie:** _ **Meet me at The Boarding House in one hour. We need to talk.**_

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Salvatore Boarding House ~_

It had taken only a few minutes for Kai to obliterate any and all traces of them from that building. The odd scent of vervain had hung in the air, long after the bodies of Lorenzo St. John and Lily Salvatore turned to dust. He watched Bonnie for a good minute as she let her gaze linger on the spot where Lily had been bound. Kai was loathe to admit, that even Lily's words disturbed him. In his mind, Bonnie's relationship with the Mystic Falls gang was almost Stockholm-esque. That thought alone when compared to their current relationship caused a chuckle to rumble from him as he gathered the rope.

But there was a staunch difference between how he treated Bonnie and how _they_ treated Bonnie. He saw it when he slipped from the prison world. They all stood around _talking_ about how much they missed her. They stood around _talking_ about how and what she would or _could_ be doing. Always talking, never acting, and never actually _doing_ anything.

When trouble rolled through, and they were warned of the trouble, what did they do? They continued to persist in fucking everything up. Then when they got in over their heads, as they were want to do _repeatedly_ , who did they call? Who suddenly popped into their brain like a last minute thought? Bonnie Bennett did.

They treated her like 1-800-Dial-A-Witch. Like she was just on call to correct their mistakes. He could feel the muscles in his forearm tensing as he stashed the last of their materials away. One last wooden box with a crushed red velvet interior held the vial of Lily Salvatore's blood.

The pain, horror, fear and desperation of her demise had been locked away within the viscous liquid. Bonnie's look of determination as she stared into the rays of new morning fueled him.

This was really happening - this was _truly_ it. Now, they would test Lily's words.

He drove like a bat out of hell in thick silence, showing up five minutes late. On purpose. Kai loved a dramatic entrance after all. He put the car in park, reaching behind Bonnie to grab their parting _gift_.

They shared a glance and he could see the trepidation starting to wear at her. He let his hand wrap around the back of her neck. A pulsing, comforting warmth exuded from his flesh to hers. His grasp was firm as he pressed their foreheads together.

"For Lucy." He held up the box. "For You." As if he needed to remind her why they did what they did. She was the last of her line and her woes began with the Salvatore family - and today it would end on _her_ terms.

It would end on her terms - or he would turn Mystic Falls into a crater.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Bonnie almost laughed when she saw the new hinges on the door. It caused what stress remained around her neck and shoulders to melt away. Kai stood at her side - a silent presence. Normally he would have rattled on about how she needed to get this over with. That she would feel better about it when it was all said and done. Deja vu was what this was.

Fingers gripped the wooden box in her hand. She felt Kai's own fingers gently brush the back of her knuckles and she looked at him. Even though she knew he had changed, was _still_ changing, it was still a little strange to know that he was a source of comfort and reassurance for her. He was her shield in all of this and while she knew she didn't need to feel that way around the entire gang, it still felt...odd.

But trust was important and right now, Bonnie felt Kai was the only one she _could_ trust.

She took a breath. Inhale. Exhale.

Bonnie threw open the door to the Salvatore Boarding House with less force than she had a couple of days ago. There wasn't any need to knock. She rarely knocked anyway when it came to this house and she had left all courtesy behind the last time she'd come barrelling through the mansion and left three vampires in the living room with snapped necks.

The tension in the room when she and Kai entered was so tight that it would have snapped had anyone dared to breathe in those first ten seconds. Caroline, Elena, Stefan and Damon were all standing around the fireplace - appearing in deep thought and conversation. Elena's pacing ceased and Caroline immediately went to Bonnie. Kai moved toward a table to help himself to one of the liquor decanters and both witches took note of the death glares that were being thrown at him from Damon.

"Bonnie! Is everything okay?" Caroline paused, her grip on Bonnie's shoulders tightening a hair and she watched the blonde's brows furrow. "...you smell like blood and smoke."

Elena was on her other side and checking for any injuries. "Are you hurt?"

"No," said Bonnie while shaking her head. "I'm fine." Her gaze lifted and she met Damon and Stefan's eyes. "I can't say the same for Lily and Enzo."

A scowl formed on Damon's face which, in turn, caused a sneer to form on hers.

"Bon." It looked like it was taking everything inside of Damon to remain rooted where he stood. Her sneer dissolved into a knowing smirk. "What did you do?"

"I killed your mother, Damon," she said plainly - like she was speaking about taking out the garbage. The look of shock registered on all of their faces save for the two lone witches in the room. "Surprised? You shouldn't be after my last visit."

There was a long stretch of awkward silence before it was destroyed by Damon's bark of laughter. Everyone else just looked at him; waiting for him to come down from whatever mini episode he was having. Bonnie felt Caroline's hand slipping into her free one as Elena pressed a hand to her lower back. Damon clapped his hands for a moment as he rested his shoulder against the mantle of the fireplace. Pale eyes danced with amusement as he looked at Bonnie, his trademark half-smirk spreading over his face.

"That's a good one, Bon-Bon." He ceased his applause and raised his brows and Bonnie just lofted one of hers. "You almost had me fooled."

Her green eyes narrowed a margin. "You don't believe me?"

"No, I don't." His smile lingered on his face - that arrogant smirk that he was known to plaster on when he thought he knew everything. It made her want to rip his lips off and throw them on the floor. "The Bonnie Bennett I know doesn't go around killing people. She's not that kind of person."

"And that's why you're a moron," chimed Kai who, during all of this, decided to fall onto one of the couches in a languid fashion as he cradled the glass tumblr between his palms. Bonnie watched Kai tap the rim of the glass with his thumb ring as Damon's smile immediately turned into a frown. "Everyone is capable of changing. You should know that by now, Damon."

"No one asked for comments from the Peanut Gallery."

Kai shrugged. "I'm just saying."

Stefan approached carefully. Unlike Damon, he had enough sense not to push Bonnie a second time after having witnessed what she was capable of. That was something she would at least give to the younger Salvatore brother. He wasn't in the habit of making stupid mistakes.

"Bon," he called to her. "What Damon did was wrong. You're right. He shouldn't have gone behind your back like that and I understand why you lashed out the way that you did. I do."

"Did you think I was throwing some kind of _tantrum_ , Stefan?" Bonnie scoffed before laughing bitterly. She pulled away from Elena and Caroline, shaking her head as she brushed her fingers angrily through her hair. "You must think I'm joking too, huh?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all, Bon…"

"Everyone in this room is capable of killing someone except for Bonnie Bennett, is that it?"

Stefan's brows knitted together, the hurt on his face hard to miss. "No, Bonnie, that's not it."

"Yes," cut Damon, drawing her attention back to him. "That's _exactly_ it, Bon-Bon. You don't go around killing people at the drop of a hat. You're better than that. You wouldn't just kill her because of what I did. You're not fooling anyone, Bonnie Bennett."

"Oh yeah?" Bonnie reached into the pocket of her jacket, grasped what was inside and threw it to Damon without remorse. He caught it and when he opened his hand, there in the center of his palm was Lily's Daylight Ring. His eyes widened, instantly recognizing it, and he slowly lifted his face up to meet her cold stare. "You still think I'm messing around, Damon?"

"Did you really kill her?" Elena's voice held all the shock that was apparent on her face. Bonnie said nothing. "Why?"

"Lucy's dead."

If it were possible, Damon's color dropped a shade. "What?"

"My cousin, Lucy, _is dead_ ," she repeated, the anger evident in her tone. Her eyes stayed trained on Damon. "And it's all thanks to your mother. Enzo had a hand in it, but ultimately it was because of her."

She watched as Damon swallowed thickly. "Bonnie…"

"Then again, my cousin would probably still be alive if you hadn't lied to her and dragged her out here in the first place. Even though I _warned you_ _repeatedly_ to get a handle on your mother."

He stepped toward her and it took everything inside of Bonnie not to take a step back. "Bon, listen-"

"No." Bonnie was seething. " _You_ listen. I'm done being talked over, talked under, talked around and _run through_ by you. I'm sick of it." This time it was Bonnie who took a step forward. "It's _always_ about you. What you want, what you need, what your woes and miseries are. Even back in Retro World, all you did was berate and complain about how I was useless because I couldn't get us out of that place. News flash, Damon, but I never _asked you_ to come with me when The Other Side collapsed."

Damon took another step forward. "Bonnie, that wasn't-" His hands reached out to grasp her shoulders but she quickly smacked them away.

"Shut-up!" she yelled, fighting back her initial urge to cry. No. She was going to beat that back. She wasn't going to cry again. There would be no more tears to shed for Damon Salvatore. "You had the same chance as everyone else to get the hell out! You _chose_ to die with me and then you spent the better part of four months complaining about the choice _you_ made. _Blaming me_ for the fact that I couldn't get you out fast enough so you could go be with Elena when you never had to leave her in the first place!"

He tried again but this time she did take a step back.

"God, even that _suicide pact_ was your idea! I was doing everything I could to keep it together. I was doing _everything I could_ to get my magic back and to stay positive and you…" Her entire body was shaking.

"Suicide Pact?" Caroline and Stefan asked the question in unison. Bonnie couldn't help but laugh now.

"Glad I'm not the only one that is always being kept in the dark in this little Circle of Friendship of ours."

"Dammit, Damon!" snapped Caroline. "Why didn't you just _listen_ to her when she asked you to back off?"

"It was his mother, Care." Elena sighed. "What did you expect him to do?"

"Listened to me when I told him I wasn't taking him to that place the _first_ time," said Kai easily as he rose from the couch to make himself another drink. "You know, when I told him that she was a _ripper_ and killed over three thousand people?"

Elena scoffed. "You're saying you wouldn't have done the same in his place?"

Kai laughed, his brows furrowing slightly as he looked both amused and perplexed. "Is that supposed to be a serious question?"

" _Look_ ," snapped Bonnie. "I asked you all here to tell you that I'm leaving Mystic Falls."

Caroline canted her head slightly. "Leaving?"

"Yes. Leaving."

Stefan sighed, wiping a hand over his face and nodding a margin. "That's probably the best thing for you right now. Just...just take a break and sort things out." He looked weathered from everything that was happening at that moment, but he tried to give her a smile. "When are you coming back?"

"I'm not."

"What?!"

Even Kai looked at her with an expression of shock and confusion. She hadn't told him her thoughts on the matter, but Lucy's death and the deaths of Lily and Enzo only further sealed the deal. There just hadn't been any time to explain.

Caroline grabbed her hand and squeezed, pulling Bonnie's thoughts back to the present. The blonde looked on the verge of tears as her blue eyes danced between looking at each of Bonnie's green ones. "What do you mean you're not coming back? You're leaving? Just like that?!"

Bonnie curled her fingers into Caroline's palm and gave it a gentle shake. "I'm leaving, Care Bear." She gave her a tired smile. "Just like that."

Her friend's eyes brimmed with tears before she cut them to Damon just over Bonnie's shoulder. "I fucking hate you, Damon." Caroline looked back at Bonnie, her hands moving to rest on her shoulders and squeezed them for further emphasis. "What about Jo and Alaric's wedding? You're just going to leave? You're a bridesmaid!"

"I'll come back for it."

"It's in three weeks and, oh my god, you haven't even gotten fitted for your dress yet!" Her eyes widened. "You can't just leave!"

"Then I won't be a bridesmaid anymore." Caroline was about to be in full-blown panic mode and Bonnie had to resist the urge to laugh and cry at the same time. She was going to miss her. "Jo and Alaric will understand. But I can't stay, Care. I just can't."

Even though she knew that Caroline didn't want to, she relented a margin and felt the vampire's hands sliding down her shoulders to grasp at her wrists. Bonnie cast a sidelong glance to Elena who was slowly approaching. There was a part of her her that was hurt at knowing that Elena was always going to teeter on the fence when it came to friendship and a man she loved. Despite having come to terms with it, it didn't make it hurt any less.

Even so…

"Hey, come here," Bonnie said, motioning to Elena. "I've got something for you."

Elena closed the distance between them as Bonnie fished into her purse. She pulled out a black velvet box and handed it to her. Bonnie watched Elena scrutinize over it before her brown eyes were looking back at her. She urged the vampire to open it and inside was a larger vial than the one contained in the wooden box still in her hand.

"What is it?"

"The Cure."

She saw Elena gasp, a hand moving to cover her mouth as she looked back at the vial and then back at Bonnie. "Where did you-?"

"Nova Scotia," came Bonnie's easy reply. Elena's eyes filled with tears. "Use it how you want. With whoever you want. Or don't. I don't care." She reached out and pulled Caroline and Elena into a hug. "Be seeing you."

And then she let them go, brushing past between them to head to the door. Another set of feet weren't that far behind her and just as she was about to step onto the small walkway that led to the foyer, Bonnie paused. Her fingers twitched against the wooden box still in her hand.

Pivoting on her heels, she looked directly at Damon. "Oh, and before I forget. Here." She tossed the box into the air and Damon caught it expertly in between his palms. "Since you were so hellbent on being close with your mother, consider that a keepsake. You can see exactly how she and Enzo died." Bonnie's eyes narrowed into tiny slits. "And how Lucy died too."

And without giving them a chance to ask anything, Bonnie whirled back around and out the door. The worst of it was over. She was finished.

Now it was time for her to make one last difficult choice.

 **xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Why wasn't he surprised at this? Kai wasn't surprised about _any_ of this. There was no mystery to the failure if this group to consider Bonnie's best interest time and time again. Each one of them had blood on their hands and just couldn't see ole Bonster putting up a fight.

The surprise on their faces, though? Oh, that was gold. They all smiled, scoffed, and waved their hands at the thought that their _good little Witch_ wouldn't rebel against them.

Surprise, assholes!

The gall of any of them to question him about what _he_ would do? Hell, at a point in time? He hated his family, so it wouldn't have been difficult. Now that anger has been pinholed onto his father. The glass of amber liquid held his gaze as Bonnie made her goodbyes. He was proud of her, his little Witch. She was standing her ground.

She wasn't being swayed by the tears, the questions, or any of the doubts. God, he loved her. Oh, wait - what? He did? He did. Kai's eyes were wide and reflective in the surface of his drink. _Huh. What a time to come to that realization, Mr. Parker._

"Tsk." There was that quiet displeasure as he let those thoughts tumble to the back of his mind. He didn't have much of a choice when he heard Bonnie say she was leaving. The shock registered on his face and he turned to gulp the drink down. Keeping his expression schooled as to not ruin this revenge for her.

There was a moment where his brow furrowed as Bonnie passed The Cure to Elena. He couldn't help the shake of his head. Even at the moment she was breaking free, she was still thinking of them. This would be the last time, though. Kai looked around the suddenly sullen faces as Bonnie tossed _the_ box to Damon. He would treasure the look on Damon Salvatore's face for as long as he lived.

When Bonnie walked out of the door, he took that as his cue to wrap up the shit show. There was a loud clap as he exhaled, "Well, I can't say it was a pleasure seeing you all again!" He turned and started walking backward toward the exit.

"Caroline, wish we could have hung out more!" He made finger guns in her direction. Turning to Elena he could only offer half smile - or was it half a sneer? Kai gave Stefan a two-fingered salute. Those suddenly luminous blue eyes leveled on Damon and he couldn't fight the smile.

"Ah, man. This could have gone _way_ different if you just listened and been an _actual_ friend. Ah, well!" He turned to exit but paused spinning on a heel to turn back around. He walked a few paces forward snapping his finger as a thought occurred. "Geez, I knew there was ...something I meant to add." He leveled a gaze on Bonnie's friends.

"Right, so. Don't even think of looking sideways at another Witch in Mystic Falls. Today ends your 1-800-Dial-A-Witch service plan. You've whittled the Bennetts down to one. You won't have the same luck with my family. Oh wait - correction!" There was a brief swirl of power emanating as he leveled his own threat. " _My Coven_."

And as quick as he fluttered that power, it was gone. He offered a cheery smile as he exited the Salvatore Boarding house. He turned to close the door with a waggle of his fingers in departure. "Don't worry, Bon's in good hands!" The door shut with a silent click that seemed horribly loud in that large house.

Kai Parker practically skipped to his car where Bonnie Bennett was already waiting, situated in the passenger seat.

"Finished adding your two cents?" she asked, giving him the side-eye.

He settled in the car turning to look at her with a look of mock indignation. "My two cents? Bonnie Bennett, I would never." Oh yes, he would. He merely smiled as the engine roared to life. Then he made an absolute spectacle of peeling out of the driveway of the Salvatore home. He waited a good few minutes before speaking again. "So, where are we going exactly?"

Bonnie propped her elbow against the door and glanced out the window as the world sped past them in a blur. "Home," she said simply. She sounded so tired even though she looked awake. "Back to Grams'."

There was a muscle working in his jaw as he nodded. "And after Grams?" He didn't want to press her. He knew she was exhausted but usually, normally as of late, she hadn't been shy about sharing her thoughts. Let alone expressing her opinion around him. "...did you mean what you said? That you're going to leave Mystic Falls?"

"Yes, Kai, I meant what I said." The tone was sharp but not angry. He knew her well enough to pick that out. "I want to get back to the house, take a long, hot bath so I can get rid of all this _death_ sticking to me. Then I'll pack up some shit and go."

He raised a hand in a defeated gesture and decided to let that be the end of it - for now. Well, maybe not. "I'm proud of you, Bon. You stood your ground, even against their tears and disbelief."

Bonnie gave a scoffing laugh. "Gee, thanks."

"I'm serious." He knew when to stop his nitpicking. "I just…" There was a slow exhale through his nose as he gripped the wheel tighter. "Thank you, Bonnie."

She craned her neck to look at him, her head still resting in her palm. There was obvious confusion on her face. "For what?"

"For trusting me to help you - with all of this." He turned to her and that vulnerability etched into the lines of his face. She must have taken note of it because now she sat up more fully in her seat. "For giving me a chance, Bon. Just, thank you." Kai turned his gaze back to the road before more emotions jumbled from his mouth.

There was a stretch of silence between them but he could see her still looking at him - practically burning a hole into the side of his head. Finally, Bonnie let out a laugh; a real one. "You're so _emotional_ ," she teased, shaking her head. "What's gotten into you?"

Kai balked, keeping his eyes on the road. Dammit, he couldn't fight the smile itching to split his face in two. "E-emotional! Are you trying to ruin my street cred, woman?" He shook his head with a small cough as she continued laughing. "I am not _emotional_. Can't a guy be thankful to get a second chance to prove he's worth a damn to someone he likes?"

"Sure he can," she said easily. "But you're not just any guy. You're _Kai Parker_ , newly reformed sociopath with lingering tendencies that lean toward mania. Can you blame me for poking fun?" Bonnie laughed a little more but then it suddenly stopped. It was so abrupt that Kai couldn't help but chance a glance to see if she was okay. There was a blatant look of surprise on her face. "Wait, what?"

"Are you ok?" There was the lift of his brows as he tried to keep an eye on her and the road. "What, what?" Now it was his turn to do the blatant surprise. "Oh, come on! Are you telling me you didn't know? All this time, Bonster? You had _no_ idea?" He put a hand over his heart as if he received a mortal wound. "I think I've shown, in more ways than one, that I more than care about you Bonnie Bennett."

"Yeah, okay," Bonnie said, the hesitation clear in her words. "But as friends! That's all this ever was, wasn't it? Friendship?" Was she serious? "You never even _hinted_ -"

"Never hinted? Never hint-" Kai pulled a Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift™ onto the side of the road. Mind you, that was one of their late night Catch-Kai-Up-On-Other-Movies-That-Didn't-Suck binges. He could totally live the life of fast cars, espionage, explosions and lots of pretty women. Well, the one he had would be fine - IF she realized her own feelings, that is. There was nervous, anxious laughter as the cloud of dust pelted the car.

"Bonnie, when I told you to let me in that night. That _first_ night? I was asking you for a chance, Bon. Not to just prove to you that I've changed. But that maybe, _possibly_ , you could see something more than a friend in me. When we were in Portland, I promised I wouldn't do anything to hurt you again, ever." He suddenly felt something he couldn't name souring the pit of his stomach.

 _Is this fear?_

He cast a sidelong glance to Bonnie as he tried to keep the rest of himself in check. "Bonnie, I can't keep you out of my head. And I don't want to. You're everything to me. You saved me in more ways than I can quantify. You make me want to be better. You make me want to _try things_ , consider other options. I mean, you know, besides the typical kill first and ponder questions that could have been answered with a live captive later. But, still..." He turned to her and grabbed her hands in his. "I know you feel something for me too, Bonnie. This thing between us? I want to see where it goes. If it _can_ go. I couldn't see myself with anyone else but you, Bon. I want to show you more of the power that lies inside of you. To show you the things that even your friends failed to notice." He reached up to cup her face with the warmth of his hand.

"That you're beautiful. You're special. You've got great taste in movies. And that you deserve the world." When did he start leaning in? "I want to turn my penance into showing you just that." Oh, look how romantically close he was now.

That feeling in his gut was practically reflected in Bonnie's eyes. She was scared too. Probably more afraid than he was. Actually, no, that wasn't accurate. She had been hurt far more than he ever had so the fear was worse on his part. Kai was used to getting what he wanted 98% of the time. It was that damn 2% that fucked him up. 1% was his coven before they locked him away in the prison world. The other?

Bonnie Bennett.

She was fucking him up and it freaked him out. Her silence wasn't helping. God, she needed to say something and fast.

"Kai…"

Okay, maybe a little more than that.

"You just watched me tell people I've known almost my whole life that I'm leaving. That I'm leaving this place because I'm tired of being hurt, of being manipulated and betrayed." Her face was so close that he could see the shine in her green eyes from the onset of tears. She held out this long and she was still fighting them. "I know you promised that you wouldn't hurt me anymore and I want to believe that. Part of me does." He nearly jumped when he felt her hand resting along the back of his wrist. "...but I'm still scared. I'm scared, Kai, and I fucking hate it."

"I didn't just promise, Bonnie. I swore it. I _swore_ I would never hurt you again, on everything I am. Everything that I am to become. I told you, I'd let you rip my heart out without a fight if I ever wronged you."

He felt his nostrils flaring as his heart beat against his rib cage. Could he lose her here? Could he really lose her after all they'd been through?

"Listen, Bonnie, I know you're scared." He used both of his hands to angle her face up to his, forcing her to hold his gaze. "Frankly, so am I." There was a thick swallow of pride in the silence that lingered. "I don't do _this_. I don't know how to do whatever it is we're doing. But, I know I've wanted you and I've fought tooth and nail to get you to trust me. To get you to see me. The me, now, trying to be a man you deserve. Nobody has been brave enough to try, have they? I'm here, Bonnie. I'm changing and I'm trying - and I'm scared to death. But, I know I want you."

"Kai…"

Again she called his name; choked out and it killed him a little more inside. But she didn't turn her face away from his. She didn't avert her gaze. Those gorgeous green eyes stayed trained on his until tears leaked out the corners of them. Kai pressed his lips together in a thin line. He hadn't meant to make her cry again. Not when she'd been strong all damn day.

And then he saw it. That smile through the tears. It was gentle and soft and probably the most beautiful face he'd ever seen her give him. The kindest expression he'd ever received from Bonnie Bennett. Yet his heart wouldn't stop fluttering. In fact, it beat even faster.

"...I want you too." A half laugh, half sob managed to come from her as her fingers curled around his wrist. "I guess I have for a while but I was just...running from it. Running from everything." She took a breath that seemed to pull half the air in the car into her body. "But Lucy, Jo...even Caroline. They all kept telling me the same thing and I just didn't want to believe it because if I did, it would make it real. To say it out loud would have made it real and that scared me more than anything else."

She moved her hand from his wrist and reached out to stroke her fingers along the line of his brow. Jesus, did she not understand what she was doing to him? Kai didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to keep himself tethered down.

"But losing Lucy has kind of put some things into perspective for me and I'm tired of being scared now. I'm sick and tired of _losing_ and being scared all the time." Again, that smile. "So if you're willing to deal with my crazy, I guess I'm ready to deal with yours too."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing, let alone what he was feeling. The surprise morphed into relief, the weight of these last few months fluttered off into the horizon. "I'll take it." A rapid nod as he ran a hand through the errant strands of hair in her face. "I'll take it all, and then some." He gathered her up over the center panel. His lips crushing to hers as if to test his grasp on reality.

 _"I want you too."_

Now he was sure, without a doubt, that Bonnie Bennett was his. And he sure as hell was hers.

* * *

 _ **AN:** A confession at last! Praise! -raises hands up in the air- Okay guys, it's been a seriously long journey but we're almost at the end. The next chapter is going to be the epilogue for **The Reset**. I know you don't want it to end, but I promise there will be more to come in a sequel. I couldn't possibly leave you guys hanging after all of this. But we were able to cover a lot of bases with this chapter alone (Jesus, Kai is dark as hell and Bonnie flirting with that darkness all over again; woo boy). I seriously cannot thank all of the great fans and support and love I have received while writing this. So yeah, just one more to go. Please continue to read, review and show your love! I'll see you guys in the Epilogue!_


	24. Epilogue: Everyday Is Yesterday

Kai took a breath as he stepped off the plane with Max and Lonnie. They were already turning on their phones, a mass of text messages already lighting up their phones. Kai wasn't even about to turn on his phone if that were the case. The last thing he wanted was to be bombarded by everything. So long as everyone else knew where everyone else was, then he could care less if they knew where _he_ was. It was always assumed that he would be with one of the kids during this trip.

Slipping on his gray beanie, Kai chuckled to himself as he placed a pair of steel-rimmed glasses on his face - the square lenses making him look like just a regular college-aged youth. Lonnie had insisted that he dress "his age" while Max said that he should have just dressed in whatever the hell he wanted to. Of course, he would take his son's advice.

He donned a pair of denim jeans cuffed up at the ankle and just over his old combat boots. The knees were ripped open and he had a simple gray t-shirt tucked into his pants, a worn leather belt hugging his waist and a black cotton dress shirt fully open with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Even though he kept his wedding band on, he wore silver rings on opposite fingers and his trademark fidget ring was on his right thumb. A set of dog tags hung from his neck and he finished his "look" off with a simple black sports watch with a digital face on it.

They met up with Lydia at the main entrance of the airport. Josiah, Emile, and Abigail had already went on ahead to the house - preparing for their arrival. At least in the sense that no one needed to be aware of their sudden appearance in Mystic Falls. It didn't take them long to load up the rental and head out for Mystic Falls.

The drive to Virginia had been long but full of chatter. Mostly from Lonnie and Max discussing what all they were planning on doing while they were out there and if any of their friends from their younger days were still in the area. Or even their cousins. There had been talk of Josie and Lizzie moving around after some time - something about Colorado. They, too, were contacted and there was mention of them possibly coming out later in the evening or first thing in the morning.

And then there was their other cousin, Lucas Lockwood. Things had been complicated over the years and, to be fair, Liv and Kai's relationship had continued down the strained path for some time. There were others who worried that she was going to drive herself into an early grave if she continued to hold onto grudges the way that she so often did. Marrying Tyler and having Lucas helped bridge the gap between her and the Gemini Coven in general.

It had been a few years since Kai had been out to Virginia for anything outside of his coven business, let alone Mystic Falls. There was, however, a time when he had been scouring through _everything_ encompassing Mystic Falls. His need to find a way to prevent The Merge for his children was a constant driving force behind his actions back then. As parents, he and Bonnie had been holding on to every shred of hope that they stumbled upon - almost border lining mania in their obsession to find a loophole somewhere in the ceremony.

She had never hated being married to him or even loving him until it became clear that there was no way around it. The hatred had been brief and so had the regret, but it had still hurt Kai. Yet it didn't hurt anyone worse than it hurt Bonnie. He knew that even then.

Bonnie and Jo's relationship had gotten progressively worse which made her relationship with Alaric strained by proxy. It was only about fifteen years ago that things had finally recovered between them before Josette passed away. She'd been dead a decade now and so was Alaric - following after her just three years later. He remembered Bonnie crying over the sheer relief she had of having patched things up with the Saltzman's before it was too late.

In just a few hours, they arrived in Mystic Falls. Kai parked the car on the side of the road, noting that there was no other car there. His kids were already clambering out of the vehicle and unloading the trunk while he stepped out and took note of the empty space encompassing the yard. To anyone else, they would have just seen an empty lot with a simple, stone memorial tablet decorating the front yard. Caroline had pulled a few strings, along with Tyler, and they were able to get the town officials to agree that Sheila Bennett's house would be "destroyed" and it would be christened as a memorial site.

But the Bennett-Parkers knew better.

"Why do I always keep forgetting that there is a spell on this place?" Lonnie said off-handedly as she laced her fingers together and then flexed them in front of her.

Max chuckled. "Because we're never out here enough for it to really click so it throws us off each time."

"I dunno," Kai said as he set his bag down beside him. "It throws me off from time to time too."

Lydia sidled up beside him, brushing some of her hair out of her eyes. "Well, I just got off the phone with Abby. She said that they went to go pick up some things for the house so we aren't starving."

"Eating out is still a thing, Liddy," mused Lonnie as she rolled her eyes. "I'm definitely checking out the old haunts while we're here."

"Fifty bucks says The Grill is still alive, kicking, and making more money than any of us did when we were younger and holding down jobs." Max laughed outright and shook his head.

Kai laughed with his son. "No way in hell am I taking _that_ bet." He clapped his hands and began rubbing his palms together. "Alright, you guys ready?"

Lydia raised her brows. "Are we sure we don't need to wait for the others?"

"Nah," he said with a shrug. "We got this. Your mother and I were the ones who first put this spell together. As long as you have more than one witch, lifting the spell is a cinch."

His three children nodded and began concentrating. Kai held his hand out to Lonnie and she took it. A red glow appeared in her palms and he winced slightly as she began to draw a small measure of power from him. She did the same thing with Lydia and Max. Once she'd collected enough magic from them, Lonnie nodded and they all looked at the "empty" yard before focusing their magic and then chanting the spell.

* * *

 _~ 2013 - Mystic Falls, Virginia - Bennett Family Home ~_

" _Invisique."_

When Bonnie opened her eyes, she couldn't help the slight amazement that decorated her features at seeing her Grams house no longer there. It was the first time she'd successfully been able to produce a cloaking spell - the first and last time she had even tried had been when she was still in high school. Her attempt to hide the Mikaelson coffins back then had been fruitless and the spirits from the Witch Burial Ground had to be the ones to take over. Even though she was elated to have pulled it off, it just further reminded her of how powerless she actually was back then.

She felt her hand being squeezed and Bonnie looked up to see Kai's smiling face. Bonnie couldn't help but smile with him, but it lasted for only a second before she puffed out her cheeks. "What?" She couldn't help but feel like he was teasing her in his head.

"Nothing! It's just…" He turned to the cloaked house with a - was that a fond smile on Kai Parker's face? Yes. Yes, it was. And it confused her. "I'm proud of you, Bon. This is a big step..." For both of them. Was that what he was implying? "...in the right direction. Never in a million years could you have told me that I'd be here _now_ with you." Kai tilted a gaze down to Bonnie, that impish grin on his face. "I think your grandmother would be proud, too."

"Sure," she said with a shrug. "She'd be _so proud_ of me taking this step with the guy she was once considering adopting." Bonnie flashed him a mischievous grin before pulling her hand slowly from his. "To think, you could have been my forty-year-old uncle had things been different." She laughed when she saw his smile fall into a pout. "Gross!"

That pout turned into a scowl as she laughed. Kai pointed at his face, trailing her movements as she backed away from him. "You see this? Huh, do ya? This is my unamused face, Bon. You know what happens when this face comes out?" He narrowed his eyes as the motion seemed to increase her amusement. "Keep laughing, woman. I'll take you right here, right now! I have no qualms about christening the back seat of that car."

"Oh, I'm _so scared_ ," she said, taking a few more steps back.

The scowl wasn't holding. She could see that it wouldn't last much longer. And then? He doubled over and started laughing _with_ her. Even the threat of some sexual escapade could not chase away her enjoyment at teasing Kai at his expense.

Amazing.

All this time, he had nothing but negative, horrible, and empty feelings toward the prison world. Leave it to Bonnie Bennett to find the _one_ positive. Even despite all the negative in _her own_ life. Kai straightened up, taking a deep breath to settle himself and she did the same. The thought would probably stick with her until the day she died.

The very thought that the path of destruction, fear, isolation, and pain that ruled the beginning of his life? That had almost caused Bonnie to end her own in the 1994 Prison World? It led them both here, to this moment. A moment where he was _not_ a forty-year-old Uncle lusting after his play niece.

"Christ, that _is_ gross." Kai's face screwed up into one of mild disgust which only threw Bonnie into another mini laughing fit. It must have finally dawned on him.

"See?" she said while laughing.

She leaned down to pick up the last of her luggage but Kai beat her to it, watching him head to the car. Once it was secured in the trunk, Bonnie poked through her phone and sighed. There were a number of missed calls and texts from Caroline and Elena both. Stefan had left a voicemail and there had been no messages from Damon. Not that she was expecting much from him, but it was still going to be strange leaving the place she had considered home her entire life.

Shaking her head, she sent quick texts to Caroline and Elena - letting them know that she would call them as soon as she was fully settled. As for where she was going, that was still up in the air for now. Bonnie knew that she had to leave Mystic Falls for a while. Hence the reason why she and Kai were simply cloaking her grandmother's house versus outright selling it (which _had_ been an option put on the table).

"Did you finish up what you needed to get done?" she asked as he opened the passenger door for her. "Like with your apartment and stuff? Does Jo know you're leaving?"

Kai rolled his eyes as Bonnie slid into the car. "Don't worry, Bon. Jo is an adult - I'll text her later." Sound Kai Parker logic. He jumped in the driver's seat with a grunt. "And what about my apartment? Kai Parker never lived there." There was a haphazard shrug as he started the car.

It took a moment for his words to sink in before Bonnie furrowed her brows in disapproval. "Were you just…" No. No way. "Did you really just _squat_ in some fully furnished place in town? Are you serious?" Bonnie put her seatbelt on before groaning out her annoyance. "Of course you're serious. Why would you not be? Jesus, why did you even _bother_ in the first place?" Once she was fully fastened, she turned to look at him. "You were practically _living_ at my grandmother's house as it was. You just can't leave your criminal ways behind, can you?"

"Hey, I didn't _squat_! That's rude." He looked severely hurt by her accusation. The seatbelt clicked across his waist as he put the car in gear. The look she gave him had him rolling his eyes. "Honestly, Bon. You should give me _some_ credit. I didn't squat." The car roared to life as he made his way onto the road. That impish grin forming on the corner of his mouth. "It just so happens that the owner who was on vacation returned early."

He coughed.

"...and looked really different."

Then _ahemed._

"And let's be real, Bonnie. I don't think it would have been good for our current relationship standing if I had stayed at your grandmother's more consistently. I didn't want you to feel like I was crowding your space. Or pressuring you. Much."

She lofted a brow at him. "You were _always_ crowding my space, Kai," she said pointedly. " _Always._ " Bonnie rolled down the window and let the cool air brush across her face as she leaned out of it a measure. "And leave it to you to use your magic for personal gain. You're the worst." Even though her words were somewhat harsh, she was smiling.

" _Almost_ always. You got to sleep alone in your bed more often than not. So, I feel like I was on my best behavior." His lips pursed as he cast a sidelong glance to the Bennett Witch. "I am a handful, aren't I?"

Kai was pleased with himself; it was blatantly obvious. Maybe because he caught that smile as she turned out the window again. Maybe because she saw him out the corner of her eye smiling just the same.

"So, inquiring minds want to know - where the hell are we going?"

"I dunno," she said while shrugging. "I hadn't given it much thought. Figured you could just drop me off at the airport and I'd go from there." Bonnie pointed randomly out the window. "Just pick some place on some random flight and go." Suddenly, her shoulders stiffened before she looked at him - just realizing what he was implying. "Wait a minute… did you just say _we_?"

He just nodded, almost absently, to her explanation. Then seemed taken aback when she questioned his presence on her voyage. "Yes, I said _we._ Not _oui_." Insert really bad French impression here. "I'm not speaking the French, woman! I said where are _WE_ going? Did you-..." Kai looked at her in utter shock. She probably looked the same. "...did you think I was going to say I want you? Just for you to want me, too? Then fly off into the sunset _without_ me?!" It looked like it was taking everything in his power to not dissolve into laughter behind the wheel.

She, however, didn't look so amused. Unfortunately.

"No, Bonnie Bennett. When I said I wanted you? I meant for the long haul." That stupid grin of his. She was sure she would smack it off his face one day. "...or until you create a spell that keeps me half a world away from you at all times. Since that day is not today?" He tilted his head toward her and her green eyes reflected her annoyance. "Where are _we_ going?"

She pressed her lips into a thin line, her gaze scrutinizing. "Don't you have a coven to lead?" Bonnie rolled her eyes and sank back in her seat. "Are you sure you can afford to be wasting your time idling away with me as I try to get my life back in order?"

Despite his earlier words (and even her own), she didn't think that Kai would be tagging along with her. Not to say that she didn't appreciate his want and, truth be told, she would have loved the company. Stepping out into the world alone, away from all that was familiar to her, it was terrifying. She hadn't vocalized as such, but she _was_ scared. But Bonnie also knew that Kai wasn't just an ordinary witch. He was a coven _leader_ now and his obligations to leading the Gemini would take precedence over things.

Honestly? She just figured they would meet in the middle somewhere.

Bonnie sighed before glancing to his profile - trying her best to ignore how unnecessarily handsome his face was. "Kai, I know you meant what you said. I meant what I said too, but the reality is still there. I don't really have any obligations. Not anymore. No school, job." She shrugged. "Whatever. You're different." She tugged at the ends of her hair before threading her fingers through her scalp. "I don't want to get in the way of your plans when it comes to the Gemini."

"Bon, just stop, would you?" His brow furrowed as the car leaned toward a highway that would lead them out of Mystic Falls. "Don't you think I've considered all this already? Why would I have rushed to get back to Mystic Falls, to _you_ , if I hadn't?" There the brief shake of his head, a moment of silence. "Look, I meant what I said. I want to show you all the things you've missed out on. Hell, there's plenty I've missed out on. And honestly, I can't see finding all these things with anyone else but you."

There was that awkward silence again. That silence that lingered between them when honest emotions came spilling out. Bonnie didn't know what to say but Kai continued to fill the silence. "I became the Coven Leader so I could have access to everything. And to piss off my father, but that's a story for another day."

She half-laughed, nodding a little. After her own altercation with Joshua Parker, part of her wanted to just piss him off for the fun of it. Because he'd looked down on her like others had.

The smile melted away after a moment, her brows furrowing as she thought on his words. "Even so, I don't even know when I'll want to put myself back into the cycle of _normalcy_ again." Bonnie propped her arm along the door, resting her face into the crook of her elbow. "It could take weeks. Maybe even months."

Bonnie wasn't sure if he was ready to idle around while she got her shit together. Kai wasn't the most patient of people when it came to things that he wanted and it was no secret that the leadership role of the Gemini was something he'd wanted for a long time. The last thing she ever wanted to be to anyone was a burden.

Laughter suddenly bubbled out of her as she shook her head, burying her face into her arm. "I'm a bit of a head case right now."

"If it's one thing I'm an expert in, my dear Bonnie, it's insanity." This was said with the typical Kai flair and she peeked at him. "Days. Weeks. Months. Years? I don't care. Just let me show you a good time? A _proper_ good time. No thinking about schedules, important dates, adulting - none of that. Let me show you the good kind of crazy to wipe away the batshit crazy from Mystic Falls?" There was a moment where he attempted adorable - or was it innocent?

Whichever it was, he was failing miserably.

There was another stretch of silence between them. Nothing as long as what usually, but it was noticeable. Finally, Bonnie burst into another small giggle fit while shaking her head. She dabbed at the corners of her eyes with the back of her wrists.

Fuck it. There were only so many times she could live, right?

"Alright," came her compliance. "Alright. Twist my arm, why don't you?" Bonnie took note of his grin as if he were relieved she was giving in. It wasn't like it was hard. What was there to go back to now that she'd resigned herself to leaving it behind?

Biting her lower lip, she mulled over some places before an excited smile broke out across her face. "New York!"

They passed a sign - Now Leaving Mystic Falls, Va.

Kai lit up like a Christmas tree at her acquiescence and her choice of city. "Wow, really going for the gusto, aren't we?" There was a flick of his wrist as he spied the time on his watch. "Well, we can make it to the airport and hop on a plane? Or, you can stay stuck in this car with me for the next seven and half hours?" He gave her the most serious look for dramatic effect. "There might be show tunes and cheesy eighties music involved. Choose wisely."

She rolled her eyes before leaning forward to stroke the dash of his car. "Are you sure you want to leave your _precious Camille_ behind in some airport parking garage?" Bonnie stuck her tongue out at him and laughed at the new information that registered to him. "I'm sure she'll feel _so lonely_ without all your TLC."

There it was.

That scowl again. She was enjoying these one-ups, wasn't she? Of course she was.

There was a moment where he nervously rubbed at the stubble forming on his upper lip. He lowered his head with a defeated laugh. "Don't get mad when you find yourself singing the words, verbatim, to ABBA or something."

Yeah, she thought so. Bonnie knew he wasn't leaving his baby in an airport garage. It was a good thing that was settled quickly.

He would have missed the exit for I-95 North.

"So, how about we stop in D.C.? Get all touristy, find a place to lay our heads, maybe have dinner?" He watched the suspicion start to creep onto her face. "Then we head out first thing to New York? It's been a heck of a time and I think a good night's rest _not_ in Mystic Falls is just the thing we need. To start the journey, of course."

Her brows continued to rise slowly. "Kai Parker..." Bonnie mused, her head tilting to the side a measure. "...are you asking me out on a _date_?" Something danced in his eyes, though what she couldn't be sure. But it didn't matter. She sputtered a laugh once again before nodding and shrugging one shoulder. "Sure, sounds good to me. I can take the first half and you can take the second bit. I hate early mornings, but I refuse to deal with afternoon traffic. Especially if we're driving into New York." Yeah, no way in hell was she trying to deal with that.

"You are a woman after my own heart." There might have been a hint of relief at her offer to share the drive. There was a moment, a blink of an eye and you'd have missed it moment, where there was a boyish smile on his face. "And why yes, Bonnie Bennett, I'm officially asking you on a date." Holy hell that sounded strange.

But it felt good.

"I can't officially ask you to be my girlfriend if we don't at least get the first date out of the way."

Despite the good feeling, there was a small amount of panic that was threatening to worm its way up Bonnie's chest. Yet seeing that smile gave her a measure of relief. It was a new start. A clean slate for both of them. They wouldn't be able to fully leave the past behind.

But they could pretend for just a little while.

She smiled softly and shook her head a little. Then gave a nod. "Okay." Stretching over a bit, Bonnie leaned forward so she could press a quick kiss to Kai's cheek and then immediately began fiddling with the radio. "Let's go!"

* * *

 _ **AN:**_ _And that's it guys! We have finished the first arc of The Reset! I've already started working on the second arc and have come to the conclusion that this is going to be a three part series. So I'm definitely excited! Wow, it's been a long journey and I still feel like we have a long way to go. I know there are still some unanswered questions that I will be giving the answers to in the next arc. The second series is going to focus on Kai and Bonnie's developing relationship, as well as the struggles they now have to face dealing with the Gemini Coven (and enemies of said coven - whoop whoop)! It has been such a fantastic ride! I am so thankful and proud of all of those who have continued to show me love and support. Final shout outs to_ ** _donutworry_** _for supplying this wonderful story idea via tumblr,_ ** _Albion19_** _for helping me discover said prompt, and to the wonderful_ ** _mysticfalls-originals_** _for letting me fall in love with fanfiction all over again. You're truly the best! Also, once again, thank you_ ** _Tomi_** _, for being my beta reader, my rock and sounding board throughout this entire process! So yeah, as always, I love you guys and I'll see you in the next arc! Bye bye!_

 _P.S. There will be more smut to come in the next arc. I promise. After all, we have 7 Bonkai babies we have to push out, right? :D_


End file.
